Puff Pastry Panic!
by Cakedecorator
Summary: Carly's adventures with Prince Sieg Lieben, the man who fell for her at first sight. While she finds him unpleasant at first, they come to an understanding, but when Sieg's issues back in DresVan throw a wrench in their engine, what are they going to do? And what's Sieg's view on all of this? Includes songs, and kisses. Rated T for safety protocol.
1. Chapter 1

**Now for my version of "The Pastry Chef And The Vermin" in Sieg's route! I hope you like it!I'll give you a hint: he falls in love with the MC at first sight. Think you know who I'm talking about?**

**If not, you'll find out when you read the story. The prologue chapter will be identical to the one from "The Pastry Chef And The Vermin", but with the obvious change being the prince I choose, and a few other edits; songs will still be here, too. Here, let's see how she does when she… **

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><p><em><span>Doesn't Give Two Cents<span>_

"I am here to escort you to your marriage interview." A man with brown hair, green eyes, wearing a nice suit says, at my apartment door.

"M-My marriage interview?!" I ask out of nowhere.

Okay, it's a morning like any other… Or at least, it was supposed to be… Instead, in my hands, is a letter sealed with the coat of the arms of the royal family…

"Carly… You have been selected as a potential bride for the prince."

A potential bride. As soon as I heard those words, my life as a pastry chef and nothing more was down the drain… and world I initially wanted nothing to do with sucked me in…

You're probably confused about this; how did this happen? Let me back up a bit… It all started yesterday morning at my workplace, Patisserie Brown. For me, it was the usual routine…

"Carly. When you're all done with that batter, why don't you take a break?" My boss, and surrogate father figure, Yosef Brown, the owner of the store, said to me.

"Okay! Thank you!" I say.

"I really appreciate you coming in to work so early," Yosef said to me. "Oh, I nearly forgot! There's supposed to be a big parade down main street, so why don't you go take a peek?"

"A parade? For what, exactly?" I ask Yosef.

"Didn't you know? Today's the day two princes are coming to visit Nobel Michel." Yosef said to me.

"Now that you mention it…" I say.

I overheard it on the news last night. Prince Ivan, from the northern kingdom of Sanct Sybil, and Prince Aslan, from the desert kingdom of Shaharazal, were coming for a Royal Visit. Must be some of their public duties or whatnot…

"I'm sure there will be plenty of girls there, screaming for the princes. I don't suppose you would be very interested though." Yosef says to me.

He's right about that.

"No kidding. I've never seen a prince in the flesh before. It's like they live in a totally different world from me." I say.

Let's get something straight here: all I want in life is to become a top pastry chef, and open my own store somewhere, plain and simple. This was a childhood goal I've always had. I've always put my career first and my love life second. I don't need a man to help me achieve my goals. This isn't a Disney Fairytale movie…

"It's a big world out there. It wouldn't hurt you to spend some time learning about it." Yosef says to me.

He's right about that…

I go to main street and I see cars, confetti, and crowds everywhere; I myself have a hard time handling a lot of noise, especially in big places like this. It's not like I've ever been good in crowds, anyway.

"Squee! It's Prince Ivan!" One townsgirl screams; I cover my ears.

"Prince Aslan's such a hottie!" Another girl screams.

It really isn't that big of a surprise that they're such girl magnets. I'm just not one of those girls who thinks that princes are all that. All I see are just some high-profile politicians with more money and manners than the rest of us. As far as I'm concerned, they're on the same level as us.

"It is our pleasure to visit you all here in Nobel Michel." Prince Aslan says.

Prince Ivan, next to Prince Aslan, had his arms crossed, and a scowl on his face. I shudder at the iciness of his stare.

"Ooh, Prince Ivan!" A boy says.

"He's even cooler in person!" A second boy says.

A group of boys were trying to push their way past me, and try to get a glimpse.

"Careful, you guys. What's going on?" I ask them.

"I wanna get his autograph!" The first boy said.

"Prince Ivan's a black belt! He's really strong!" The second boy says in reply

I'm wondering whether or not they're going to land themselves in hot water by approaching him. I just hope for the life of me that they _don't_.

"Hold it!" I say, trying to hold the boys back.

They just scampered through the crowd and rushed towards Prince Ivan.

The first boy asks Prince Ivan, "Can I have your autograph?"

Prince Ivan hesitates and the atmosphere goes dead silent. I know better than to approach a prince, but if need be, I'm going to step in and protect those boys.

"Get away from His Highness, you kids!" A cop says.

"But we just…" The first boy begins, but the cops started to rush in and surround the boys.

They'd better not be thinking of arresting those kids just for something as simple as a signature! If they are, I am NOT above making a scene!

"Wait." Prince Ivan says; that's flipping the script.

Prince Ivan stepped out of the car and began to approach the boys. I start giving Ivan the stink eye, albeit not trying to make eye contact, and I'm ready to get in his face.

Silence filled the air, but Prince Ivan strode towards boys, slipped through the cops, and took the pen and paper from the boy.

He's giving the boy his autograph? Really? That's… unexpected. Prince Ivan pats the boy on the head, gives the pen, and paper back to the boy, and then returns to the car. I sigh in relief…

"Wow…" I say; what a relief…

My eyes meet with Prince Ivan's for a second, but then he turns away from me. That's actually something I thought would never happen…

Nice to see he isn't all stone…

Back at the bakery…

"Say what?! A message from the palace?" I ask Yosef.

"Yes! There was some sort of mix-up, and they never received their order of flour!" Yosef explains. "So, they sent a message here asking if we could spare some. I told them we had plenty of extra flour because of all the orders lately, and they asked if we could deliver some to the palace."

We get to go to Nobel Michel castle?! That's amazing!

"We get to go to Nobel Michel palace?" I ask, my eyes lighting up.

Sadly…

"Of all the times for the car to break down!" Yosef complains.

The car breaks down and we're stuck on the side of the road on the way there, and we're pretty much in a bind.

"This old piece of junk… I've been meaning to buy a new car for ages now, but…" Yosef says.

"We'd better just head back to the bakery and get a truck." I say.

"That's probably best. We can't just ignore an order from the palace, after all." Yosef says to me.

However, a light flashed in the rearview mirror.

"A car's coming, Yosef! I'll go flag them down!" I say, and then get out of the car.

"Excuse me! Please stop! Our car broke down and it's an emergency!" I shout.

The car screeches to a halt, and I notice how fancy it is. I ignore it for the moment, as the backseat window opened up and a man poked his head out the window.

"Is something the matter?" He asks me.

He had a cheerful smile on, but I felt there was something in his eyes that seemed… off. I ignore it and then I tell him, "We were asked to deliver flour to the palace, but the car broke down…"

"You're delivering flour to the palace?" He asks me aloud, and I nod in reply.

He helps me get the flour into the trunk and then I get in the backseat with him.

"Thank you SO much for your help! You're a life-saver!" I tell this man.

"My pleasure. We should all help each other out when we can, right?" He asks me.

"I concur!" I say, with a big smile.

I can tell that his clothes are high-end, and his manners are exemplary. If he's a dignitary or something, he really knew his stuff.

"Forgive me if I was keeping you from anything…" I continue.

"Don't worry about it. I was going this way anyway," He said, but then he started to laugh. "I'm sorry… It's just that you looked so serious, I couldn't help it. Hehe…"

"Do I really look that strange?" I ask him.

"It wasn't odd or anything. I've just never seen someone make that face before," He tells me. "Forgive me. I don't have the opportunity to meet many ordinary people."

That sort of caught me off-guard. That statement said to me that he's of a different class, mainly higher…

When we get to the palace, I look at it and how beautiful it is. I'm soon in the front of the courtyard, trying to find my way to the kitchen.

"Geez… That person who helped was very nice, but laughing at me? That was a little uncouth…" I muttered.

When I asked for his name, he said he was someone whose name wasn't worth knowing, and that gave me a hint that he's either some celebrity that didn't feel happy about it or something…

"Eh, what are the chances we'll ever meet again?" I ask, driving the truck towards the delivery gate.

"Eek! It's Prince Kuon of Oriens!" A woman shouts, and then a fancy car pulled up.

A man dressed like royalty stepped out, attracting a huge crowd. Typical…

"Prince Kuon, why don't you give them a smile?" His butler asked.

Prince Kuon just gave a 'humph'.

I see that I'm in the way, so I begin to move, when a bag of flour fell off the back.

"Oh, snap!" I say.

Prince Kuon walked over and helped me pick up the flour bag.

"Thanks…" I say, a little suspicious.

"Don't worry about it." He says, smiling. "Not the best spot is it?"

"No kidding," I say. "I was about to move the truck…"

"Are you taking this to the kitchen? I'll carry it for you." He says to me.

"Now, hold on! There's not really a need for it, Your Highness! I can do it myself." I insist.

"Please, it would be my pleasure." Kuon said to me.

I sense his earnestness and then I nod.

"Prince Kuon!" His butler shouted. "Everyone is waiting for you. Where are you going, Your Highness?"

"So let them wait. I'm not going to ignore a lady in need. I don't recall being raised with such poor manners." Prince Kuon says; his mouth's corners were twitching up.

"B-but, Your Highness, be that as it may…" Prince Kuon's butler says, but…

"I'll be there soon, so you go on ahead," Kuon says to his steward before turning back to me. "Let's go."

"Let's do it." I say, with a smile.

After Prince Kuon helps me carry the flour, once we got to the kitchen, he leaves. Well, that's to be expected. I'm sure he has a reason to be here, and I'll bet that it's _not_ kitchen-related.

"Are you here with the flour?" A pastry chef asks me. "Thank you, I really owe you one. I'm the head pastry chef here."

"Really?!" I ask, elated.

This person is the #1 pastry chef in the world! And I'm talking to this man. Now I need to make sure that I'm poised and confident.

"I-I'm sorry it took so long." I say.

"No, no… I'm the one who should be apologizing for making you come here," He says, and then looks me over. "By the looks of you, you're a…"

"Oh, I'm a pastry chef, too! Well… to a degree. I'm still an apprentice." I tell him.

"You are? Well, then, do you think you could help me with something? What with all the confusion about the flour, things are a mess back here in the kitchen. Would you mind lending us a hand with the dessert?" The head pastry chef asks me.

I smile brightly; this is a dream come true for me, and I roll up my sleeves. I tell the head pastry chef, "Let me at it!"

Staff were rushing back and forth; running around like chickens with their heads cut off, but I ignore it and help out kindly.

"Chef! We've finished baking he cakes, but they still need to be decorated." One of the staff members said.

I see undecorated cakes lined up on the counter. There's a lot of cakes, so I assume a really big party is going on.

"You said your name was Carly, right? Could you do that one?" The head Pastry Chef asks me, pointing to one of the cakes.

I may still be just an apprentice, but I'm confident that I can impress.

"Leave it to me! I'll pull out all my tricks!" I say, and then I get to work on decorating the cake.

The pressure's on, and I tie on my apron. If there's one thing I love, it's a challenge!

"Chef, what do you think?" I ask, as I finish up the cake, and show it to the chef.

"You went with a pretty simple design, huh?" He asks me.

"I tasted a little of the cake; the flavor was very complex, so I thought a more simple design would highlight that complex flavor." I explain.

His mouth was covered with his hand, and I shudder a bit.

However, he gave me a smile, and then he says, "This is wonderful. I knew you were the girl for the job!"

This causes me to grin brightly, and I feel so happy.

"Thank you _so_ much!" I say to the head Pastry Chef.

"How about helping us with some madeleines next?" He asks me.

"Yes!" I say, with a big, wide smile.

I follow behind the head pastry chef, I overhear some of the staff talking.

"Did you hear? The princes are all here because they're looking for brides." "I wonder what kind of girls the princes are into."

I listen to the staff, but I subtly roll my eyes. What grief are those men going to get? They're so popular that they're going to have the pick of the litter of girls.

"Time to bake!" I say, distracting myself, and beginning to bake.

I decide to cut through the gardens to get back to Patisserie Brown, and I'm sore all over.

"Sheesh, it was a battlefield in there…" I say, but then I notice how huge the garden is.

_'It's beautiful out here…' _I think, and then I see the roses. I kneel down to get a better look at the roses.

"What beautiful roses…" I say. I see how beautiful they were; they are shimmering in the silver moonlight and dew.

I'm about to take out my phone to take pictures of these roses so that way I can figure out a way to make them into a great cake decoration in that exact color, when…

However, I hear something rustle in the bushes, and I back off; I put up my fists, ready to fight.

However, someone pops out of the bushes and I cry out in surprise.

"Sh! Quiet!" He presses both of his hands over my mouth.

"M-mph!" I try to speak, but my mouth is shut. I don't care who this guy is; I'll crush his foot if he tries anything!

However, rather than doing anything inappropriate, he just yanks me into the bushes with him. My mind is racing…

_'What's going on?! What should I do?!' _I think.

"Prince Aslan! Where are you?" I hear someone call out from the distance.

"That party's about to start! Prince Aslan!" The same voice shouts.

_'Prince Aslan?!' _I think.

"Why won't she just leave me alone?" Prince Aslan asks aloud.

I look up at him, my arms still behind my back. The face bathed in the moonlight was the same one I saw at the parade earlier.

_'Oh, snap… It's really him…' _I think, my mind going blank.

I was pressed tightly against his chest and his scent was filling my nose. I decide not to make a fuss. Judging by his voice and his body language, he did not want to be found out, so I keep quiet.

"…You smell really good. Sweet, almost," He says to me; I go red in the face at this comment, and he smiles. "Are you a baker or something?"

"Yes, I am." I say to him; I try not to look stupid, so I just be objective with my response.

I felt really confused, and after that, my mind blanked out. Whether it was caused by the fact a man was holding me, or I was talking to a prince, I don't know, but it freaked me out.

"Hm… A baker, huh? That might not be so bad…" He says, looking up at the night sky.

I had no clue what he meant, and I was about to get snippy and ask him, when…

"Your Highness, where are you!? Please come out! Think about the position you're putting me in!" That woman's voice says again, her voice on the verge of tears.

"I guess I have to go," The Prince sighs, in resignation, and then he let go of my arms. "I'm sorry if I surprised you."

He turned away and he left; I sigh in relief. I like the fact he was self-aware about whether or not it caused me to panic, but he still scared me half-to-death.

"Surprised me? He almost made me go into cardiac arrest!" I say, before slapping myself in the face.

"Carly!" I hear someone shout, and then the head pastry chef came out to find me.

"Thank goodness you're still here." He says to me.

"Chef! What are you doing here?" I ask.

"I've been looking all over for you. He wants to see you." The head pastry chef explains.

"Um… "He", meaning who?" I ask.

"Prince Hayden, the Prince of Philip." The head pastry chef explains to me.

"Say what?!" I ask aloud, in surprise, but I go along with it.

I've seen some pretty fancy parties in my time, but this takes the cake, no pun intended. I see how big, and beautiful the ballroom is, and realize that I felt a little out of place wearing my chef's uniform, but I ignore it for the moment.

_'I just want to get out of here… What does Prince Hayden want?'_ I think. I have more important things to worry about.

"Ooh, look!" "Prince Hayden's coming out way!"

I see a man with blond hair and blue eyes, in a white military jacket, and a red sash on. He approaches me, and I stiffen up a bit.

"Are you Carly?" He asks me.

"Yes, I am," I say; I see his focused gaze on me, but I try to force down my nerves. "The head chef says you wanted to speak to me?"

"Where did you learn to decorate cakes like that?" Prince Hayden asks me.

"Eh?" I ask.

"The cakes you decorated. Where did you learn that style?" He asks me.

Now I get it.

"It's more or less my own original work," I say. "A customer wanted one for a small wedding, so I…"

He listens intently to me, but I try not to ramble.

"I made her a cake, and she really liked it. I thought the style I used back then fit the cake this time around, as well." I explained.

I'm betting that he hated the simplicity, but the next words I heard were out of nowhere.

"I will be having a memorial service for my late grandfather, soon." He says to me.

"King Wilfred?" I ask.

Everyone knows King Wilfred is Prince Hayden's grandfather, and was known as a just and benevolent ruler, even though his older brother, Stephan, was the firstborn son. His death was heavily mourned over, and with good reason.

"Yes. We will have an official ceremony, but I would also like to have a private funeral, just for my family. I would like the cakes for the private ceremony to be decorated the same as this one. I was hoping that you could write down some instructions for my royal pastry chef." Prince Hayden says to me.

So that's what he wanted. Whew…

"Of course! I'd be happy to!" I say; anything related to baking fires me up.

"If you'd be so kind." He says to me.

"Thank you very much, Your Highness." I say to him, with a polite bow.

The thought that he liked my cake caused me to smile up at him.

"Hm…" He says to me, with a smile; I start to feel a little nervous and my guard goes up.

I hide my hands behind my back and I stood up straight.

"What's wrong? Why are you hiding your hands?" He asks me.

"No reason…" I say; as if I can tell him I'm nervous talking to a royal!

"Show them to me." He asks me, before grabbing my hands, roughly.

"My hands are covered in cuts and burns," I say. "I'll bet in the eyes of someone like you, they're probably quite revolting."

Now I know I'm being a bit critical, but that's how I am. I tell it like it is, I don't hold back.

"Oh? I think they're beautiful, actually." He says to me.

His hands cupped my own, and saying that my hands, all covered in labor scars, are actually beautiful, is either a big stretch in his good manners or he really meant it. However, I was sure that it was the former.

"Prince Hayden is smiling! And he's holding some girl's hand!" "But she looks like she's just a servant!"

I feel a thousand pinpricks across the back of my head. I am _so close_ to just letting my tongue loose.

"Give me a break…" Prince Hayden says. Looks like he hates this, too…

"Hey there, Hayden!" Another voice said, and then we turn to see a man in a red and black military jacket and a white sash approaching us.

He had a woman in tow, and he split through the crowd to make his way to us.

"Eek! Prince Oliver!" Someone shouts.

Prince Oliver of Altaria?! Exactly how many royal men does that make it today?! Seems I'm meeting royal after royal today, and it's getting a little overwhelming…

"You're the center of attention, as usual!" Oliver says.

Prince Hayden does not answer.

"But that's the world famous Prince Hayden for you! There's no need to be shy." Prince Oliver says.

"I'm not." Prince Hayden states.

"There you go again." Prince Oliver says.

During their banter, the crowd gets larger and larger. This is as helpful to my nerves as leeches on a dead person. I try to stand my ground and ignore it.

"Who does that pastry chef think she is, hogging all the princes!?" Someone asks.

Hey! Don't bark up the wrong tree! I didn't _ask _for this to happen. I just want to say that _so badly!_

"What's wrong? Why do you look so upset?" Prince Oliver asks me, cocking his head to the side and looking mat me in curiosity.

"It's nothing. I'm just…" I begin, but…

"Do you not feel well?" Prince Oliver asks me.

"Excuse me?" I ask.

"You shouldn't overdo it," Prince Oliver says, before wrapping his arm around my shoulder, and dragging me through the crowd. "Here, let us through! We're in a hurry!"

"Now hold on, Prince Oliver!" I begin, about to give him a piece of my mind.

"You can just call me Oliver." He says to me.

"As if I could do that!" I say, and I'm saying it with good reason. As if I can become friends with a prince right off the bat.

"It's fine, really." He says to me.

Laid-back, much? Maybe a little _too much… _If he's going to be a king, this sort of attitude is going be like biscuits without any baking powder in them.

He continues to drag me out of the hall along with him and then we're soon out of the banquet hall, before hiding us behind a large pillar.

"We should be safe here," Prince Oliver says to me. "We can't go making all the ladies jealous on purpose, now can we?"

I get it: he helped me escape from all of the spiteful women in here.

"Thanks…" I say to him.

Although he's laid-back, I can see he's good-natured, and I like that kind of guy. And _NO_, I am _NOT_ crushing on Oliver. I'm no idiot…

"Hm… I bet I know what you're thinking right now." He says to me.

"Oh, really?" I ask, crossing my arms.

However, he gave me a pleasant smile and places his hand on my head.

"I think this might have been fate. I'm sure we'll meet again," Prince Oliver says to me. "Until then, Pastry Cutie."

After Prince Oliver leaves, what he said runs through my head. "Fate"? What was he talking about? The chances of me meeting a Prince more than once are so small that it's nearly impossible. But then again, what am I saying? I just met _five_ in one day! And calling me 'Pastry Cutie'… Well, that's a first.

"I should book it before something goes wrong." I say, but then someone bumps into me.

A woman in a dress bumps into me, and she spills her wine on me by mistake in the process.

"Oh my, excuse me! Oh, you're a pastry chef?" She asks me.

"Yes, I am," I say. "Don't worry about the wine getting on my uniform. This type of attire is designed for this sort of thing."

"Hm, just from your outfit, I take it you aren't one of the candidates." She says to me.

"Candidates for _what_, exactly?" I ask, a little confused.

Out of nowhere, the banquet hall goes dark and then spotlights light up the stage; the dazzling lights are so bright that I have to cover my eyes for a few seconds.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please allow me to introduce our princes!" The host of the show said.

I look at the stage, and I see six men standing there; I recognize the one with the purplish-color hair.

_'That's the man who helped with the car! Don't tell me he's a prince, too?!'_ I think.

Remember when I said that I have already met five princes in one day? Scratch that and make it _SIX!_

"Wait, he's a prince?!" I mutter, trying not to stick out.

"And now that Prince Sieg has safely arrived, we can move on to tonight's main event." The host began.

I meet Prince Sieg's gaze, but I try not to look at him; however, he gave me a smile from up on the stage, and I look at him in confusion. Either he remembers me, or he thinks I look weird with red wine on my uniform; add to that the fact that I'm the only one in here _wearing_ something other than a nice dress, and I really do stick out like a sore thumb…

"Before too long, we, along with two new princes, will hold the Nobel Expo." Prince Hayden says, and the banquet hall fills with excited murmurs.

Even I don't know what the Nobel Expo is.

"In the spirit of international cooperation and cultural understanding, we have put together this exhibition for the enjoyment of our peoples," Prince Hayden says. "We hope that you will enjoy attending as much as we have enjoyed preparing this event, and we sincerely look forward to seeing you all there."

"What's the Nobel Expo?" I ask a waiter.

"What, you've never heard of the Nobel Expo? Why, its…" He begins, but then something interrupts us.

"Now for a special surprise… Ladies and gentleman, the bouquet toss!" The host says, causing women to cheer out in delight.

I didn't get my answer about the Nobel Expo, but I cover my ears in pain. Why are they having a bouquet toss at this kind of event, anyway? This isn't a wedding…

"The lucky lady who catches the bouquet will have the pleasure of getting to dance with whichever prince threw it!" The host says, and then all the women – minus me, of course – mob the stage.

"Prince Hayden, throw it to me!" "Prince Sieg, over here!" "Choose me, Prince Aslan!"

I see the women going at it for the bouquets. I just roll my eyes in annoyance. What harpies… It's not only got nothing to do with me, but I don't dance. Doesn't mean I can't, but I just prefer not to.

I decide to book it and get back to the bakery before I get caught up in something ridiculous.

"Better get going while I still can…" I say, and I start to make my way to the hall exit.

A drumroll begins, and just as I turned away from the stage…

"Alright, Your Highnesses! Whenever you're ready!" The host says.

I hear the rustling of hundreds of skirts behind me, but then…

"Ouch!" I shout, and it was that one hit in the head that caused my life to do a complete one-eighty…

I'm dragged to a dressing room to change into a dress. Long story short, rather than catching a bouquet, I was hit in the head with one.

This isn't the first time wearing a dress, but a gown like this, is a first for me.

The maids do my hair and makeup, and I felt like someone else. I'm no stranger to this sort of thing, but… I didn't expect this to happen.

"I wish I could just leave… But since a Prince is waiting on me for a dance, what choice do I have?" I moan.

I move into the banquet hall; I'm used to wedge shoes, but heels, that's new for me, so I stumble every now and again, but I'm otherwise fine.

"Is that the same girl as before?" "Wow, that prince really has good taste!"

People are talking about me, and I just roll my eyes; I'm used to pressure, so I feel okay as everyone's gazes are upon me.

"You're the one who caught the bouquet, right?" I hear someone ask, and I turn to see Prince Sieg.

"U-Um, yes…" I say.

"Here, take my hand," He says, with a warm smile; he holds out his right hand to me. "Follow my lead."

I gently take his hand; I feel quite stiff and I go off to the dance floor with him. As the music begins, I manage to follow Prince Sieg's lead and I do at least somewhat fine… In my opinion, at least.

I can see that Prince Sieg is a really good lead at this; normally, my best dancing comes from freestyle dancing. Ballroom dancing, not so much…

I decide to break the ice.

"Thank you for the ride earlier," I say, trying to be polite. "I was unaware you were a prince. If I was rude, then…"

He smiled brightly, before leaning in to whisper something in my ear. He said, "And why should I announce myself to some stranger?"

"Pardon me?" I ask.

"Especially a stranger who makes princes haul flour," Prince Sieg says to me. "I hope you're ready to face the consequences of your actions."

"Consequences?! For crying out loud, all I did was ask for help," I say, being quiet enough to avoid drawing attention to us. "What's the problem with that?!'"

Okay, now I know my first impression of this lout from the car was _completely _off!

"I only did it because my steward ordered me to 'act like a gentleman'," He says to me. "Otherwise, there's no way I would've stopped to help some regular person. Do you really think I'd let some flour-covered girl ride in my nice car?"

Tch… Should have known he didn't pick me up out of kindness. He did it because he was coerced into it… I knew he was unpleasant in the car…

"What? Does that make you unhappy?" He asks me.

"No…" I say, with conviction.

"It's not easy being a prince," He says to me. "We have to put up with a lot of stuff regular people have no clue about."

"Isn't that to be expected?" I ask.

Other women begin murmuring and I manage to hear what they're saying.

"Who does that woman think she is? She's just a servant!" "Just because Prince Sieg chose her doesn't give her the right to dance with him!"

_'Um, technically, since I was hit with the bouquet, and the rule is that the girl who catches it gets to dance with the prince, I actually __do__ have a right…' _I think, but since I know better than to talk in this situation, I keep my mouth shut.

However, I hear a ripped noise and squeak a bit in surprise; I see that I've stepped on the hem of another woman's dress. I end up losing my balance, as well.

"Careful!" Prince Sieg says, catching me. And once he did, he scoops me up into his arms, and begins to carry me, bridal style.

"Geh…" I say, a little surprised.

"Are you okay?" Prince Sieg asks me, with a kind smile.

I don't know why, but that smile is just… Fake to me. It just gives me the wrong impression.

"Forget about me…" I say, not making eye contact with him.

"You didn't twist your ankle or anything?" He asks me.

"I'm fine." I say, being stubborn.

"…We should still take a look at it." Sieg says.

"Say what?!" I ask.

While still carrying me, Prince Sieg walked towards the exit of the hall, and I end up getting glares and daggers from the eyes from the other women in the room.

"W-What's that woman trying to pull!?" "We can't just let some lowlife steal away Prince Sieg like that!"

Sheesh… Hey, ladies, I never _asked_ for this to happen! I really just want to holler that right now; I'm not trying anything, _he's_ doing this on his own free will…

"Nothing's scarier than a jealous woman." Prince Sieg says to me.

"For once, we agree…" I mutter.

"But, I guess they don't get many chances to be jealous of a regular girl," Prince Sieg says to me. "It'll be a good lesson in humility."

What the…?! He's just looking down on everyone else! Albeit I understand what he's saying…

We make it outside, and then Prince Sieg deposits me in the car out in the lot.

"Zain, take her home." Prince Sieg says, as he drops me into the seat; there's a thud.

"Ow!" I say, in pain.

"Of course, Your Highness." Zain says.

This guy… Tossing me in here like I'm a piece of luggage or whatever… Prince of DresVan? Try Prince of Jerks!

"Why're you looking at me like that?" Prince Sieg asks me.

I give him a glare and I'm pretty sure he wanted to get out of dancing with me.

"You should be thankful you got to experience what it's like to be a member of high society." He says to me.

I don't say anything in response, and I just keep giving him a dirty look.

"Besides, don't you feel lucky getting to ride in such a nice car?" Prince Sieg asks me.

Forget the car or the dancing… I just decide to come out with my thoughts.

"I've got a question." I say to Prince Sieg.

"What?" He asks me.

I give him a look straight in the eye, and ask, "You picked me up and carried me out of there because you got sick of dancing with me, am I right?"

"So what if I did?" He asks me.

Figures that was the case…

"What? A girl can't be curious?" I ask, getting on the defensive.

Prince Sieg doesn't reply; he gives me a final chilly glance before walking away. Tch! He's the _King_ of Jerks!

"Miss Carly. Please don't think too ill of him," Zain requests. "He has his reasons for acting like that."

"Really?" I ask, not convinced.

"Prince Sieg stopped dancing with you and took you out of there to spare you," Zain explains to me. "Women and their petty jealousies can be vicious."

I highly doubt that's the case; he really seemed to be enjoying himself trying to make me feel stupid. That's probably the first and last I'll see of him, and I hope that's how it stays.

"Please allow me to apologize on his behalf." Zain says.

"Don't bother." I mutter.

Once I get home, I close my front door behind me, and I breathe a heavy sigh.

"Talk about waking up from a dream…" I say, as I wipe my brow.

I was only going to be delivering flour, but then I ended up dancing at a ball and dancing with an actual prince… Talk about something out of fantasy…

"Not like that's ever gonna happen again." I say, before putting my stuff down.

I decide to keep the night a secret; it's not like anyone would believe me and I just leave me phone alone.

It was only a dream; one that could never repeat itself, so I just keep it to myself.

The next morning, I'm all ready for work.

"Alright, time for work!" I say, and I begin running through my responsibilities in my mind, when…

The doorbell rings, and then I go over to the door.

"Who's there?" I ask; what the heck would someone be stopping by here for this early in the morning?

I open the front door, and I see Zain.

"Good morning, Miss Carly." Zain greets me.

"Zain?" I ask; why's he here? "What's going on? Did I forget something?"

"Not at all." He replies.

"Are you paying for the flour?" I ask.

"No, we've arranged payment for another day." He explains.

Maybe he's here to ask me to help out in the kitchens again? Or offer me a position as a pastry chef in the castle?! That would be great.

"So…" I ask; I try not to get my hopes up.

"I'm here to pick you up, Miss Carly." Zain says to me, with a smile.

"Say what? Pick me up to go where?" I ask. "I have work…"

"I am here to escort you to your marriage interview." Zain tells me.

"EH?! Marriage interview?!" I shout, in surprise.

"Carly… You have been selected as a potential bride for the prince," Zain explains to me. "I am here to escort you to Nobel Michel."

What the…?! How…? Why…?! WHAT'S GOING ON?!

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><p><strong>Here it is! Myself in Prince Sieg Lieben's route!<strong>


	2. Chapter 2

**Here's the next chapter of "Puff Pastry Panic"! I'm stuck in a marriage interview with Sieg, and he's acting even worse than last night! I'm only getting more agitated by the minute, but there's more than one surprise in store for me. **

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><p>"I'm here to pick you up, Miss Carly." Zain says to me, with a smile.<p>

"Say what? Pick me up to go where?" I ask. "I have work…"

"I am here to escort you to your marriage interview." Zain tells me.

"EH?! Marriage interview?!" I shout, in surprise.

"Carly… You have been selected as a potential bride for the prince," Zain explains to me. "I am here to escort you to Nobel Michel."

What the…?! How…? Why…?! WHAT'S GOING ON?! _ME?!_ As a potential bride for the prince?! What kind of mistake has occurred here?!

"The prince was actually looking for potential brides last night at the party," Zain explains to me. "When he tossed his bouquet to you, he was choosing you as a potential bride."

"So that's why he really chose me last night…?" I ask.

"Here is a small token from Prince Sieg," Zain says. "His Highness selected this dress and accessories with you in mind."

He opens up a box that is quite fancy and shows me its contents.

"He picked this out for me?" I ask, in surprise.

Why me?! Why did he pick me!? Am I still dreaming?! I don't know why, but I can't believe this is what's happening to me… I slap myself in the face, but sadly, this is just too real…

"Miss Carly? Miss Carly…?" Zain says, and I snap out of my daze. "Are you okay?"

"Heck no!" I shout. "Why was I chosen?! As if Sieg would choose me… That's impossible!"

Remembering the attitude Sieg had last night made my blood simmer a bit. He was really not that nice to me, and I don't intend on seeing him again.

"I think it was Sieg's own decision." Zain explains to me.

"There has _GOT_ to be a mistake!" I say.

"No, he definitely chose you. If it's okay… We have a dress for you. I'll return tonight with the maids to help you change. After that, I'll take you to the restaurant for the marriage interview." Zain explains.

"Marriage interview?!" I shout, quite surprised about the situation.

"Yes, this is an opportunity to get to know him better as his potential bride," Zain says. "I've been entrusted with bringing you to the meeting place."

Get to know that Prince?! Out of the question for me! No way! The words 'prince', 'potential bride', 'marriage interview'… The words are unfamiliar, and they're chasing around my head like a wolf chasing chickens with their heads cut off…

Is this really happening?! As much as I want to spit as much venom in my voice and turn him down, but I have no choice, so I merely nod…

That evening, as promised, Zain returns that night with the maids. The girls helped me with my dress and my makeup, and I get into the car Zain has.

"The dress really suits you." He says to me, looking in the rearview mirror while I'm in the back.

"Thanks…" I say, with a hint of sarcasm.

If he's trying to help me relax, he's being as helpful as leeches on a dead person, but I can tell he's a nice guy. However, like yesterday, the dress is somewhat familiar. But on the other hand, what's gonna happen tonight…?!

"Where are we going?" I ask.

"I apologize for my lack of explanation," Zain says to me. "It's a place near Nobel Michel Castle."

"Good… We're not going all the way to DresVan Kingdom." I say with relief.

"Yes, Sieg is currently staying at Nobel Michel Castle to prepare for the Expo." Zain explains to me.

"What is the Expo, exactly?" I ask.

"The Nobel Expo is a great exhibition held by a group of the surrounding countries in order to deepen friendships and promote cultural exchange between them. This time, Sanct Sybil Kingdom and Shaharazal Kingdom will also be participating." Zain says.

That means Prince Ivan and Prince Aslan will be at the castle, as well.

"Organization of the event is entrusted to the princes of those kingdoms. The Princes are staying at Nobel Michel Castle for an extended period as they prepare." Zain explains.

"Really…" I say.

"Miss Carly, allow me to help you." Zain says.

"Thanks…" I say to him.

As we enter the restaurant, I see a slender man dressed similarly to Zain. Who is that guy?

"Hans, I've brought Miss Carly." Zain says.

"Thank you very much for taking Sieg up on his request," The other man, Hans, says, and then bows to Zain, before turning to me. His intense eyes are burning into mine… He bows to me. "It's a pleasure meet you, Miss Carly. My name is Hans, and I work as Sieg's butler. I'm pleased to make your acquaintance."

"Yes, I am, as well… I appreciate the invitation." I say, trying not to let his intensity get to me; I bow my head, too.

"Now, allow me to take you to Sieg." Hans says to me.

Immediately after hearing this, I go stiff in the back. Now I'm nervous…I steal a glance to Zain, and he gives me an encouraging smile.

"I hope you have a wonderful time." Zain says to me.

Oh, the chances of me having a good time with a prince like that? Try one in three trillion…

_~Sieg's POV~_

I'm shaking in my shoes while I'm sitting at the table, waiting for the flour girl from last night to show up. I still can't believe what I said to her last night. I totally put my foot in my mouth!

She was making such a determined face that night that we first met that I got curious. I was thinking that after the flour was delivered, that would be that, but I then saw her in the ballroom for some reason.

Either way, I'm thinking that it must be destiny that I could meet her again. Tonight, I need to compensate for my horrid words last night.

"Okay, Sieg, calm down, calm down…" I say to myself, trying to relax.

I down some champagne to try to help me loosen up, but it's not helping.

I have to be a gentleman tonight, or else I'll end up making an idiot out of myself again. She must think really ill of me right now.

"Sieg, Miss Carly is here." I hear my steward, Hans, say, and then I have him bring her in.

Once I see her… It was like something out of a fairytale. She was _stunning_.

_~End of Sieg's POV~_

"Sieg, Miss Carly is here." Hans says to the door.

"Yeah, come in." Sieg says, from the other side.

Here goes nothing… I feel my body get stiff and then I take a step into the room.

I walk into an elegant room, complete with red drapery, painting, and the best in interior design that money can buy; then again, he's royalty, so it's not that unexpected. I'm a little taken with the room, but then I look in another direction.

I see that Sieg is sitting at a table at the far end of the room; he was wearing a white suit with a blue and white striped necktie, a black handkerchief, and his shirt was grey. He seemed to be consuming some kind of alcoholic beverage. His hand is still on his glass, but he slowly turns his face to me.

"Eh…" I say, trying not to let my nervousness get to me. I feel drawn in by the elegance of his demeanor, and I feel my heart pounding. I subtly shake my head, trying to snap out of it.

Yesterday, I was really flustered; I didn't notice how handsome he really is. His features are sophisticated aura are definitely prince-like. He's starting back at me with his mouth slightly open.

"Your Highness…?" I ask, trying to get him to speak; I refuse to be informal with him.

"Well… I guess anyone can look good with the right clothes," Sieg says, catching me off-guard. "It's impossible to look dull when I hand-picked a dress that would flatter even the likes of you."

"Hu-What?!" I say, quite surprised.

What cruel words! I can't believe those are the first ones out of his mouth! I feel a wave of regret wash over me; I'm about to turn my back and leave, when…

"Don't just stand there, sit down. How long are you gonna keep me waiting?" Sieg asks me.

I'm on the verge of running my mouth in anger, but I know better, so I hold back and stomp towards the table. I drop myself into the seat Hans had pulled out for me.

"You're as assertive as ever. Are most of the common girls like this?" Sieg asks me.

I scoff before turning my face away from him. I can't stand the idea of being next to this guy. The food is soon brought out, and then I feel a little better about the situation.

I smile and my eyes light up at the presentation; they really went all out here. As I took a bite, the complex, and wonderful flavors are dancing in my mouth.

"This sauce is fabulous!" I say, after swallowing a bite of food.

I can tell they used a bit of fresh cream. I then crack a smile, being hit in the head by inspiration, and I end up forgetting my earlier annoyance. I end up thinking that this would be great research to use in my baking.

I end up becoming happier with myself, and I keep eating. However, I hear a laugh beside me.

"You look happy." Sieg tells me.

Snap, I forgot he was even here…

"Yes," I say. "The food here is really well-presented, and they're no slouch in the flavor department, either."

"Well, of course. This is a restaurant for the royal household." Sieg said.

"Yeah." I say.

"Your sort don't really get the chance to eat this kind of food," Sieg said. "So make the most of it."

"Oh, I will…" I say, with a hint of anger in my tone.

Okay, yes, he's right in that department, but that bluntness of his was uncalled for… I try not to snap back, and concentrate on the food.

However, a bone-in meat dish is brought out, and now I'm worried. How am I supposed to eat it? I can't bite into it; that's rude.

I look at the forks and knives, trying to look for a clue, but I get nothing, then I glance a glance towards Prince Sieg to see how he's handling this.

"Pfft." Sieg says to me.

"Excuse me?" I say, getting defensive; he's smothering his laugh with his hand.

"You're face… You're like a squirrel scavenging for nuts." Sieg says.

"S-Squirrel?! I'm not a rodent!" I snap back.

Sieg's turning around, and his shoulders are shaking. I have half a mind to go and turn him back to me.

"Sieg, shall I get you some water?" Hans asks Sieg, from nearby.

"Y-Yeah… Please." Sieg says, clearing his throat, and takes a sip of water; Hans poured it for him. He picks up the knife and fork, spearing the meat with the fork.

He then cuts along the bone.

"After you've cut it off the bone like this, dice it into bite-sized pieces." Sieg tells me.

I nod, my face redder than a red delicious apple.

"Try as you may, your manners pale compared to mine," Sieg says. "Bumpkins will always eat like bumpkins."

Why this little…! His words are so blunt that my stomach drops; I resist the urge to just throw my wine into my face.

My mood being ruined, I continue with my meal, feeling miserable, ashamed, and wanting to leave.

Once the time to leave this 'marriage interview' comes, I'm just very relieved. I let out a small sigh, and I'm really happy to go.

"Hey," I hear someone behind me, and I turn to see Sieg. "Hans will drive you. That okay?"

"Thanks…" I say, a little skeptical of his intentions; I start to spit venom in my sentences. "I'll be going now. See you never, Sieg."

I'm about to leave, when…

"Wait." Sieg says, putting a hand on my shoulder.

"What is it?" I ask, a little annoyed.

I can tell he wants to say something, because he can't make eye contact. What's gotten _his_ skin in a bunch? I feel the warmth of his hand on my bare shoulder. He looks at me for a moment, but then he removes his hand.

"Nothing…" Sieg says. "It's nothing… Go home."

What?! He's the one who stopped me in my tracks here!

"No need to tell me twice!" I snap. "I'm leaving."

I then lift the hem of my dress, and walk towards Hans. What's with him; he was acting so weird! And he's a total jerk!

_~Sieg's POV~_

I blew it… Once again, I had put my foot in my mouth. I was trying to thank her for coming tonight, but all I did was just be cruel again.

I'm beginning to loathe this personality of mine. I don't know why, but she's just pulling me in with some kind of charm she has.

I then start thinking about something that I had recently seen with my childhood friends, Hayden and Oliver: a movie from Disney known as 'Frozen', and I remember one of the songs.

_"I see your face… And it's nothing like I've ever known before! Love is an open door!" _I remember those lyrics.

I think I relate to the song just the slightest bit. But… I don't know what's really happening right now.

_~End of Sieg's POV~_

Hans drives us through the streets at night, and I'm still steaming about Sieg. Who does that two-bit rich brat think he is?! Just because he's royalty doesn't mean he can compare me to rodents!

Hans looks at me in the rear view mirror and he keeps glancing at me every now and again.

"What's the problem?" I ask; better talking to Hans than his master…

"I'm sorry," Hans said. "I was wondering whether or not you enjoyed this evening's dinner…"

"Honestly… The food was fabulous." I say, refusing to bring up Sieg.

I think I hear a disappointed tone in Hans's sigh and says to me, "Sieg really enjoyed himself."

"Eh…?" I ask, in surprise.

"Forgive me," Hans tells me. "A butler shouldn't presume to speak of what his master is thinking. Please forget I said anything."

"Tch, fine…" I scoff, not pleased.

If Hans says that Sieg enjoyed himself, then means he found it enjoyable being a bully! What an ogre…

I soon make it home, and I'm still a little upset with the events over the course of the day; I'm tuckered out.

"Geez, I'm tired…" I say, falling onto the bed; I'm tired out, after the tension drains away.

I don't know what the heck today was about, but I _hate_ how Sieg treated me; I felt like I was worthless, the way he spoke to me! If I ever meet him again, which to be fair, the chances of which are one in a trillion, I'm _SO_ going to crush his ego like a cockroach!

"Marriage interview my foot!" I shout. "I'm sure he just wanted to laugh at a normal person like me…"

The next morning, my cell phone's ringtone wakes me up; I wake up in the morning, and then I leap out of bed in the next instant.

Crud! I've got work today! I lunge for my phone, and pick up; as I expected, it was my boss, Yosef.

"Yosef! I'm so sorry for oversleeping…" I say, about to freak out and try to defend myself.

"Don't worry, you still have time before work." Yosef tells me.

I look at the clock on the wall and I realize that I have about an hour and a half to spare; I sigh in relief and go back to talking to Yosef.

"Sorry to call you so early. It's just that it's an emergency…" Yosef says to me.

"An emergency?" I ask in reply.

Okay, emergencies in a bakery range from fires and the like to large orders on short notice, and from the circumstances of this call, it's the latter.

I dash into the kitchen from the back and then I say, "Yosef, what's the emergency?!"

I see Yosef, with bags of flour surrounding him, and I breathe in relief.

"Oh, we got the flour back! That's great!" I say in happiness.

"No, this isn't from Nobel Michel Castle," Yosef says to me. Say what? "This has been sent to us from DresVan Kingdom."

"D-DresVan Kingdom?!" I ask; I think I know what's going on here… I feel my heart skip a beat.

"Yeah, and the royal family at that!" Yosef says to me. "They want us to make a bunch of cakes with it by 3PM today."

Three in the afternoon?! Talk about a last-minute order…

"And they asked for you to deliver them to the castle personally." Yosef informs.

"Wha-huh?! Me?!" I say. I then groan in annoyance.

No matter how I look at it, this whole thing has Prince Sieg written all over it. But the question is, why is he doing this?! I don't know what his game is, but that royal brat of a jerk won't get away from me without a scathing tongue-lashing from me!

As I'm thinking this, Yosef asks me, "Carly, could you get started right away?"

"I'm on it, Yosef!" I say with a smile; fire is burning within me, and I'm ready to go!

Later…

"Miss Carly, good to see you." Hans says to me.

We finally get the cakes done and once I get to the castle, I see Hans waiting for me.

"Thanks for the order," I say, with a smile. "While large orders are always a pleasure for us, it was a bit of tall order because it was on short notice."

"I'm very sorry to hear that," Hans said. "But we needed you to deliver the cakes yourself…"

"Is there some kind of function going on?" I ask.

"Yes… Something like that." Hans said.

My gut is telling me something sketchy is going on, but I let it slide for the time being and listen to Hans.

"Well, could you take one of the cakes and follow me?" Hans asked.

Huh? Only one? My instincts are telling me something's up.

"Just one?" I ask, confused.

"Yes, the castle staff will unpack the rest." Hans says to me.

I'm still confused and the lights are still out in this matter; I follow Hans down the halls of the castle. It's like a maze in here.

Is it possible he wants me to serve it? My heart flutters at the idea of me getting a good reputation amongst the castle for my work, considering I helped out at the last party. Should that be the case, I'd be really happy.

"In here, please." Hans says to me, as he leads me to a door.

I'm anxious in the best way possible; as I enter the room, I'm expecting a large horde of people, but my expectations and hopes are dashed when I see who is _really_ inside. Instead…

"EH!? S-Sieg?!" I say, quite surprised.

All I see is that the room is a wood-paneled office, and Prince Sieg is sitting at a desk in the center, all by himself.

"You're late. Are you incapable of responding to an order promptly?" Sieg asks me.

I'm shocked and upset; I look to Hans, and ask, "Were you lying to me when you told me this was an order for a party?! I don't take kindly to liars…"

"What? Is that what you told her, Hans?" Sieg asks.

"N-No, I…" Hans begins, stammering.

Prince Sieg glances at his watch, and then he says, "My break is at exactly three. Now, thanks to you, I'm late. Hurry up and bring me that cake."

"Your break's at three… You mean to tell me that this order was for your personal snack?!" I ask, quite appalled.

"Don't be stupid. I'm not a child who needs his afternoon snack," Prince Sieg says to me. "It's simply a requirement so I can perform my duties without a hitch."

"Eh…?!" I say, in shock.

What the heck is this royal brat thinking?! I'm stunned in my spot, shocked, and he gives me a smug stare.

I was clueless as to what fate had in store for me at that time…

"So the one person eating the cakes from this order will be _you_?!" I ask; Sieg watches me with a smirk, as I stand there.

"Don't just stand there like an idiot; hurry up and serve it." Sieg says to me.

"Fine…" I say, bitterly.

I'm fuming and annoyed, but I just slice up the cake; I serve it to him, and I make ready to leave. As much as I want to give him a thorough tongue-lashing, I can't.

"This is definitely your own work." Sieg says to me.

"Um, yes…" I say, trying to avoid his eyes.

Prince Sieg takes a bite of the cake before looking to Hans, and then Prince Sieg says, "Hans, get her a chair."

"Of course." Hans says.

"Hey, I can't stick around! I gotta go back; I'm going, anyway…" I say, about to make for the door, but…

"Who gave you permission to leave? You'll sit here and eat with me." Sieg says.

_WHAT?!  
><em>

* * *

><p><strong>Oh, no, now what?! Now what's going on?! This is going to get out of hand even though I didn't want to. Next time, it seems that Prince Sieg insists on dragging me along on different events, and I don't know what his deal is; whatever his problem is, he's got no right to give me grief.<strong>


	3. Chapter 3

**After that night with that failed marriage interview, I'm on guard when it comes to Sieg, now. It isn't helping that he's dragging me around everywhere he goes; what is his deal? Why is he doing this? I may not know what his problem is, but it's not really I have time for. but when he springs something unexpected on me, I'm all ready for it. Contains "Ma Belle Evangeline" from Disney's "The Princess And The Frog".  
><strong>

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><p>Prince Sieg takes a bite of the cake before looking to Hans, and then Prince Sieg says, "Hans, get her a chair."<p>

"Of course." Hans says.

"Hey, I can't stick around! I gotta go back; I'm going, anyway…" I say, about to make for the door, but…

"Who gave you permission to leave? You'll sit here and eat with me." Sieg says.

_WHAT?!_

Before I have a chance to bark back, Hans seats me and I end up eating the cake with Prince Sieg.

What's this guy's deal?! I feel my confidence start to fall when I remember how yesterday's marriage interview went.

I see Prince Sieg inspect the cross-section of the cake, and he begins to open his mouth; he says, "This sponge cake…"

"Don't like it?" I ask, about to get sassy.

"I do… It's moist and delicious. Is there anything special in it?" Prince Sieg asks me.

"I added honey in there; the flavors get rounded out and it makes it easier to rise." I state.

"I see. That's a good idea." Prince Sieg says to me.

I'm surprised Sieg noticed a difference in the batter… That's a twist.

"Nice catch," I say. "You into cooking?"

"Anyone would notice that," Prince Sieg says; jerk… "Although, yes, I'm rather skilled in cooking. Next time, I'll make something for you."

"Don't bother," I say, turning my face away. "It's not like we'll meet again after this, anyway."

"If you refuse, it'll make me want to force-feed you." Prince Sieg says.

"Don't start!" I say.

However, I get the feeling that things are going better than last night… I soon decide to speak up.

"So this order was for your personal snack, er, I mean, an important part of your break, but… There's still a lot of other cakes in the kitchens; what are you going to do with them?" I inquire.

"I don't really have any plans for them." Prince Sieg says.

Say what?

"Pardon me?" I ask.

"I thought if I was gonna order, then I should order a lot, so I did," Prince Sieg says to me. "Shouldn't a humble cake store be grateful for that?"

"You…" I begin; I'm totally floored. THAT was the reason?! I'm stunned speechless…

"Why the face?" Prince Sieg asks me. "I thought it'd be an honor?"

_"Don't spew garbage!"_ I shout, losing my temper. _"You're as off-target as a blind archer!"_

"What do you mean?" Prince Sieg asks me; he's obviously shocked about me flipping his script.

"No matter what, pressed for time or not, I make each cake with love and passion; I go for broke with each one! The happiness of the customers is what I value the most, and I want to make them happy!" I shout, before pointing at Prince Sieg. "And you just wanted us to make a large amount of cakes for no reason other than the heck of it! We worked our butts off to get everything right and everything together… And it was a waste in the long-run!"

"I'm paying a pretty penny. Petty complains are unbecoming." Prince Sieg says to me.

"You're missing the point! Money's not what I'm talking about, you ingrate!" I shout; I know calling him names is pretty rude, but I'm boiling like a lobster here!

I get up from my chair and say to him, "Your position doesn't give you the right to walk all over people, you got that?!"

I snatch Prince Sieg's plate away and then I give him my most angry look.

"H-Hey!" Prince Sieg says to me.

"You lost your right to eat this cake the minute you admitted your reasons… You cockroach!" I say.

Prince Sieg is stunned silent, and Hans says, "Miss Carly…?!"

I storm out of the door, taking Prince Sieg's plate with me, and I don't look back.

* * *

><p>I make it back to the store, still fuming, and then Yosef greets me.<p>

"Welcome back, Carly. What did they think of the cakes at the castle?" Yosef asks me.

"It went well." I say, with a vague smile; I decide not to let on my little blow-up at the castle.

I know it really isn't the best thing in the world to blow up at a Prince the way I did, but I don't care; prince or not, he didn't take our work seriously. I'm sure he's fuming right now, but if he is, I'm glad that I did what I did. I'm secretly hoping this doesn't turn into something big, but I decide to let it go and get back to work.

A few days later, I think that Sieg might have even forgotten what had happened, so I let my guard down for the moment. I'm lounging around at home, just doing my own thing, including working on other recipes for my work.

I hear the doorbell ring, and I immediately get up and go to the door.

"On my way!" I say, and then I get my door on the handle. "Now who is - _WHA-HUH?!_"

I'm speechless when I open the door and see whom it is that's standing at the door. Of all the people, of all the places…

It's Prince Sieg! What the heck is he doing here?!

"What's with those clothes? Is that what people wear at home?" Prince Sieg asks me.

I ignore the jab at my loungewear. What the heck is his deal, coming here?!

"This entryway's as small as a dog's kennel." Sieg says; he's probably trying to get me to speak to him.

I don't answer, being cautious around him. I don't know what his idea is, but…

"Hey, what's with the silence?" Prince Sieg asks me.

Rather than answering, I slam the door in his face, lock it, and shut out the lights in a panic.

"Hey! What's with shutting me out like that?!" Prince Sieg demands, knocking on the door.

"Go away! After what I said last time, I have no intention of being a victim of whatever disciplinary action you intend for me!" I shout.

"Oh, yeah… When you lectured me?" Prince Sieg asks. "There's no way I can let a woman who stands up to me get away."

_THAT'S_ his intention?!

"Let me in!" Prince Sieg demands; I give in and unlock the door, and open it.

I'm surprised that he isn't upset because of last time…

Prince Sieg pushes his way into my house and doesn't even give me time to protest.

"I came here to visit you. Hurry up and let me in." Prince Sieg says, as he rudely barges in.

Something occurs to me: how did he figure out where I live? I never told him…

"Hold it!" I say. "How did you find my house?!"

"It's not that hard to find out." Prince Sieg says, grinning at me, slyly.

He comes into the main room of the house and then he starts throwing jabs about my living situation.

"Do you really sleep, eat, and do everything in this tiny place?" Prince Sieg asks me. "I didn't think it was possible, but now I've seen it with my own eyes… So this is how the people live."

He's just here to tease me. Now I'm mad.

"Get out!" I shout, pointing to the door, and he turns to me in confusion. "If you're here to be a bully and mock me, then make like a banana and split! You have no right to be a jerk to my face, is that clear?"

"No; I'm not leaving. More importantly, don't you have any better clothes?" Prince Sieg asks me.

"What's it to you?" I ask. "These are my house clothes."

"Then change into something else. We're going out." Prince Sieg tells me.

Say what now? What does he mean by that?!

I have no idea why this is happening to me… Prince Sieg brings me to a concert hall, along with Hans. I see that the building is very beautiful, and it has centuries of history behind the walls. I'm waiting behind Prince Sieg with Hans, like his attendant.

I'm going to make sure that as soon as I find an opening, I make a run for it.

"Wow! It's Prince Sieg!" "Ohmigosh, so handsome…"

I see Prince Sieg smile benevolently at the crowd. He responds like a gentleman. I subtly roll my eyes at the fakeness of his demeanor.

"Sieg, we've been expecting you. It's a great honor to have you here today." The manager says.

"It's my pleasure. I head that the orchestra has been performing excellently lately." Prince Sieg replies.

"Would you say a few words to the musicians?" The manager inquires. "It would mean the world to them."

"Yes, of course." Prince Sieg says.

He's acting so different. In fact, this is how he acted when he and I first met. I gaze at him with bitterness and reproach in my eyes; I know what he's really like. The lying termite…

"Miss Carly," Hans says, speaking up. "Shall we go ahead and take our seats?"

"Whatever…" I mutter, and then I follow Hans to a seat in the VIP section.

"He'll join us in a moment." Hans says, as we take our seats.

The bell signals for the start of the concert, and the lights dim. I don't really care for music like this unless it's an Opera, like "Phantom Of The Opera", or something to that effect. Since this isn't "Phantom Of The Opera", I start to tune out.

If that Prince Sieg doesn't come soon, the concert will start without him. However, I'm soon surprised.

I see Sieg between the stage curtains as they start to part, and I'm surprised.

"Sieg?" I say, in surprise.

The audience buzzes as they all notice Prince Sieg; Hans says "Sieg will be performing a piece as a special surprise guest."

"Seriously?" I say, as I smack myself in the face.

Prince Sieg sits down before the piano and silence descends on the hall; once he started playing, the hall fills with graceful music.

I, on the other hand… I end up falling asleep and tuning out. I will admit that he's got an aura that's completely different from most normal people; at least, that's what I think as I end up napping through the piece.

I manage to wake up in time for Sieg to finally come to the VIP section.

"Hey, sit next to me." Prince Sieg says, as the orchestra begins playing.

There's a ton of guards around us, but I want no part of this.

"No," I say, turning my head away. "Why should I? It's not like it's even okay for me to be in that position with you."

"There's no problem with my attendant sitting next to me, is there?" Prince Sieg inquires of me. "Just follow my orders."

"I don't follow orders unless they're from Yosef." I say, crossing my arms.

This gentlemanly side of him is just an act; what a phony… And I don't like this sort of thing.

He scowls a bit and then yanks my hand before sitting me down next to him. I keep myself from making eye contact, and I'm teed off at how he treats other people.

_~Sieg's POV~_

This girl is really starting to intrigue me; she won't do what I tell her, she shut me out at her house, and she doesn't respect my position…

This is actually a nice change of pace from what I'm normally subjected to. I'm sorely tempted to take her hand into mine, but I'm still trying to get to know her.

What can I say? You shouldn't jump the gun on romance; especially if it's love at first sight…

"So… Did my piano playing please you?" I ask; I know fishing for compliments isn't polite, but she hasn't said anything about my piano playing.

"I wouldn't know; I slept through it." She says.

She did _WHAT?!_

"You _slept_ through my piece?!" I ask, my jaw dropping.

"I don't care for classical music," Carly says. "It's not like I was bored by it; you dragging me around tired me out."

I mentally slap myself. Commoners…

_~End of Sieg's POV~_

I don't know what Sieg's deal is, but I can tell that whatever piece Prince Sieg played is carrying over into the performance of the orchestra and it's really good… Even though this isn't the style of music that I like.

"I can see that everyone loves you. People are moved to tears when you talk to them, and everyone loved your performance." I say; I have to admit, he's something else… But I would never tell it to his face.

"It's not like anyone's really smiling at me," Prince Sieg replies, flatly; this takes me by surprise. "They're just happy they got to meet 'Prince Sieg'."

"That's unexpected…" I say.

"I'm just someone who bears the title of 'prince'. That's all I'm worth." He says to me.

I don't know why, but those words are causing my stomach to churn. I wasn't expecting those words, especially not from someone who's usually so condescending, too; what a twist.

"Maybe so…" I admit; I don't think there's an easy response otherwise. "But I don't think other people would flatter you if you weren't royalty."

"Haha, yeah." Prince Sieg says.

However, my eyes are telling me that while he's handsome, he looks a bit gloomy, too. Even I know that princes have hardships; they may live in luxury, but with that comes a lot of restrictions on behavior and the like.

As I keep giving him a sad look, our eyes meet, and I end up flinching.

"But here I've got the only woman who doesn't treat me like I'm special." Sieg says to me.

"You're ticked about what happened before, right?" I ask him.

"No," He says to me, catching me by surprise. "It was my fault for not thinking about the feelings of the people who made those cakes. Sorry."

I'm speechless; I didn't think someone as hoity-toity as him would own up to such things.

"I gave the rest of the order out to my staff, so it all got eaten." Sieg tells me.

"That's a relief." I say, sighing in relief.

"That cake was delicious." Prince Sieg says, and I can swear that he's red.

"Thank you." I say, and I smile widely.

After that, we seem to be on better terms with each other during the rest of the show.

* * *

><p>After the concert, Prince Sieg started to show up at my place at the most inconvenient times, very frequently, and to my consternation.<p>

"Tonight we're going to a wine-tasting event. Hurry up and get ready." Prince Sieg stated.

"Hey! Don't go barking orders at me! I _just_ got back from work! For crying out loud…" I complain, trying to protest his demands.

"I thought you looked more tired than usual," Prince Sieg says to me. "You've got two minutes. Wash your face."

"Listen, Sieg, you turning up unannounced and at completely random times is starting to get _very old_!" I say, as I stand my ground. "I want no part of this!"

Prince Sieg merely gives a cough and then he changes the subject.

"By the way, I wanted to ask you… does someone living around here have a cat? I saw one over there." Prince Sieg asks.

He changes the topic to cats? Seriously?

"A cat? I'm not sure," I say. "It could be a stray."

"A stray…" Prince Sieg says, his eyebrows rising for a moment.

"What?" I ask, crossing my arms.

"N-Nothing," Prince Sieg says, stammering. "More importantly, hurry up and get changed."

"Idiot…" I say, and then I go into the bathroom to change clothes.

Who does this varmint think he is?! He might be the Prince of DresVan, but he's so condescending and high-and-mighty that it makes me want to throw a plate at his face and hope it gets scratched.

At the wine-tasting event, I take a break in the corner; I feel like I'm being used as an accessory to this roach's needs… I see Prince Sieg, feigning chivalry as always.

I don't know why, but whenever he can, he brings me along to these events. It's not like I'm his partner here or anything. If he thinks he's got himself a new maid or something, then he's got another thing coming! If that's the case, I won't stand for it!

As my temper is simmering, Prince Sieg comes over to me.

"You look like a mouse huddled there in the corner," Sieg says to me; I'm annoyed. "Does your body lack the refinement to handle fine wine?"

"Don't be an idiot; I took the chance to have more than my share," I say to Sieg. "And stop comparing me to mice and other vermin. I'm human."

Now, please don't hate me for this, but mice and other rodents, like rats… From a bakery standpoint, calling them 'vermin' is _completely_ appropriate. Mice and rats, cockroaches, flies, mosquitoes, and ants can actually cause a lot of problems in a bakery. Rodents spread germs and pathogens that they carry if they invade the food, cockroaches spread the chemicals they carry in their droppings by contaminating the food they get into, flies eat food differently than humans do, and this causes the food to go bad, and their maggots cause issues, too. Ants, well, they're just annoying, while Mosquitoes multiply in grease barrels and can spread disease when they bite. See what I mean when I'm asking Prince Sieg not to compare me to vermin?

I'm not immune to Prince Sieg's sarcasm, so I just state reality to his face; it's nothing I'm incapable of.

He snorts, and takes a sip of wine.

"Why do you drag me to these functions?" I ask, getting to the point.

"Is it a bother?" Prince Sieg asks me.

"Yes and no; there's a reason you do this, isn't there?" I ask. "I just don't get it."

Prince Sieg downs the wine he's been holding in one gulp.

"There's not really a reason," Prince Sieg says to me. "I thought it would be interesting… to have an ordinary person like you around."

"Oh, so there's no deeper reason than that?" I ask, getting my sass into my voice.

Sieg refuses to reply. So he _DID_ just bring my around for his own amusement! I can't just keep doing this; I have work to do.

"Sieg, I have to think about…" I begin, but…

Sieg _rudely_ interrupts me and he says, "By the way, there's going to be a boat party hosted by Nobel Michel."

"Another party?" I ask.

"Yeah, this time it's to entertain the politicians and members of the royal family who will be working to hold the Nobel Expo." Sieg replies to me.

"Politicians and royalty… Tch…" I say, with a scoff.

With Prince Sieg's behavior, I have a gut feeling that all royals are just a bunch of stuck-up nobleman with no sense of delicacy. Then again, Prince Oliver isn't like that, from the first time I met him at the least…

"Yeah, and I want you to come too." Prince Sieg says.

"Beg your pardon?! I…" I begin, about to protest and tell him that I have my job to think about.

"If you were there as a pastry chef, you'd have no complaints, right?" Prince Sieg asks me; he's right.

"Excuse me?" I inquire.

"According to Hans, the head pastry chef at Nobel Michel Castle said he wants you to help again." Prince Sieg says.

"Really?!" I say, lighting up.

I knew it! I must have impressed him with my work!

"That would be an honor! Count me in!" I say, getting fired up.

"Thanks to me, you're used to parties now. It'll be a piece of cake for you, pun intended." Prince Sieg says to me.

Is it possible that Sieg's been dragging me around to these things is to prepare me for the boat party? If that's the case…

"What, is there something you're not happy with?" Prince Sieg says.

"Don't be stupid," I say with a smile. "This is the best thing that's happened to me! Thank you so much!"

I've gotta go for broke; it's a once-in-a-lifetime chance to be working for a Nobel Michel party.

* * *

><p>At the party, I'm on the boat, and I see that there's a chandelier hanging from the ceiling; the ceiling just seems too high to fit on a boat, luxury liners or not. There's the light tinkle of voices and melodious laughter ringing through the room, and if I were not a pastry chef, I'd be pretty nervous.<p>

However, I've helped bake cakes for the party, and since I'm here doing my job, I feel a lot more comfortable.

"Oh my, this cake roll is really delicious." A guest compliments me.

"Thank you. Would you like another piece?" I ask her.

After I'd soon finished making the cakes about two hours ago, I'm serving them to the guests in the large hall. As I'm serving the cake, I hear a familiar voice a little bit away.

I look over and I see it's just Prince Sieg; we make eye contact for a second, but he immediately turns back to the of guests around him. I suppose in this situation, it wouldn't be appropriate to socialize with him unless _he_ approached _me_.

I felt like we got a tad close with each other after all those events he brought me too, but… Watching him in his formal outfit, talking with the elite members of parliament and royalty, reminds me that Prince Sieg and I are from completely different worlds, and neither one of us could enter the other… As if I want to anyway.

"What's the matter? You look down." I hear a friendly voice said, and I look around behind me.

"Oliver?" I ask, in surprise.

"It's great to see you again!" Prince Oliver says to me. "Could I get some of that chocolate cake?"

"Here you go!" I say, handing him a plate and smiling widely.

"Thanks, and some for those guys, too." Prince Oliver says, gesturing beside him.

Looking to that direction, I see Prince Hayden and Prince Aslan standing there.

"I'll have the baked cheesecake." Hayden says.

"I'll take whatever you recommend." Aslan said.

"Just a second." I say, with a big smile.

I see the other princes are here, too. Then again, since Prince Sieg _did_ say that this is to entertain politicians and royals holding the Expo, I think it's a given that they'd be here. It makes me a little nervous to be around them; their presence is too dazzling for their own good sometimes.

I watch the three of them eat, and then I start to overhear their conversation. Then again, they're right in front of me, so it's not really eavesdropping… Is it?

"I see Sieg's entertaining the royals." Aslan said.

"Yeah, he takes his position seriously." Oliver said, in response.

Being a prince is just a fancy name for a politician in line for the next position of a higher rank. At least, that's what I think.

"All things considered, is it okay for him to be here?" Prince Hayden inquired. "It wasn't long ago that I heard a rumor about DresVan."

This catches my interest; what rumors are he talking about?

"Yeah, I heard that too," Prince Oliver says, turning serious; that's odd for him. "That there's been a lot of glitzy parties in DresVan recently, even though their motto is one of austerity."

So they're extravagant parties, contradicting the usual, modest type of party?

"It seems like large-scale construction works are on the increase, too…" Hayden comments.

"That's under the direction of the current King, right?" Prince Aslan asks; he means Sieg's father… "I thought he was all about protecting the traditions of his predecessors…"

This gives me the impression that there are _definitely_ some issues going on in DresVan Kingdom, but even though I know it's irrelevant to me, I'm starting to become worried.

Prince Oliver seems to notice my expression and demeanor before smiling at me.

"Oh, sorry," Oliver says to me. "We shouldn't be talking politics while eating this fantastic cake."

"It's very subtly flavored. Thanks." Prince Hayden said.

"You're very welcome." I say with a big smile.

"It was great. I'll have to have it again sometime." Aslan says to me; he puts his plates back and then they walk off.

I don't know why, but I'm worried about Sieg. As I gaze at his profile, seeing him talking seriously with the guests, I'm somehow overcome with worry and concern.

I'm beginning to wonder if Sieg knows about the rumors; then again it _is_ his Kingdom, so he _should_ know…

"Miss Carly." A maid says, speaking up.

"Yes?" I inquire.

"There's some leftover food in the back. Feel free to take some when you have the time." The maid tells me.

"Thanks." I say.

Sheesh… I'm famished; I haven't eaten since breakfast. I'm about to head into the back, when…

"Miss Carly, could I have a moment?" Hans asks me, stopping me in my tracks.

"Hans?" I inquire.

"Could you come with me?" Hans inquires.

"What? Why?" I ask.

"I have a request from Sieg." Hans explains to me. Not again…

I glance towards Prince Sieg, and see him talking to a noblewoman.

"Sieg's a bit busy…" I point out.

"For now, if you could follow me?" Hans asks me.

"Hold it…" I begin to protest, but Hans brings me out of the hall, almost by force.

For crying out loud… Just when I thought I could eat something, too…

"Miss Carly, we've been expecting you." Some maids say, as I'm brought into the room Hans showed me to.

"What in the…?!" I begin, quite surprised.

"We are here to help you transform into Sieg's partner for the night." Hans says, with a big smile.

"Now hold on," I begin. "Aren't there plenty of other girls for that role?"

"But you are the one Prince Sieg asked for," Hans replies. "By the way, this dress is one that Prince Sieg chose especially for you."

I see another beautiful dress hanging in the room, and while I'm surprised and stunned by the beauty of it, I'm also immobilized by the maids; they're surrounding me, and I can't move.

"This jewelry was also personally chosen by Prince Sieg." One of the maids told me.

Another one inquires to me, "Would you like your hair done up? Or would you prefer it down?"

"Hold up…" I state, getting an idea of what's going on.

"Well then, I'll be waiting for you outside." Hans says to me, before leaving the room with a smile.

I have no idea what's going on…

After changing, I go over to Hans, who was waiting for me in the corridor.

"Miss Carly, you look lovely." Hans says to me.

"Thanks…" I say, sardonically. "But why does Sieg want his partner to be _me_? When we had dinner before, and now… I haven't a clue what's going on."

"You don't know…?" Hans asks me.

"No, I don't. And I want answers." I say.

"I can't say myself what my master is thinking, but… You might be able to get a hint tonight." Hans says to me.

"Pardon?" I ask.

Hans smiles a bit, before opening the door to the hall.

Once I go in, the room has become a dance floor, and music is playing. There are skirts of women swirling around, as they're looking around for a partner; I, on the other hand, am more comfortable in sweat pants and a T-shirt than I am in this dress. Doesn't mean I don't like it…

I'm about to make a break for it, but my eyes meet with Prince Sieg's.

_~Sieg's POV~_

I had finished up my work in the kitchen. That's right, I went into the boat's kitchen. I was making some food for Carly. I had noticed she had not eaten all day, minus her breakfast, so she's probably pretty hungry about now.

I'm making items like rice balls and omelets for her; being a normal girl, I think she'd enjoy this type of cooking.

After I finished, I go back into the ballroom and go around greeting guests and the like while Carly is serving cake to the others.

Some time later, I see Carly come into the room and my eyes light up a bit at seeing my future princess in that beautiful dress.

"Excuse me." I say, excusing myself from the woman I'm talking to and then I make a beeline for her.

"Your hand…" I say to Carly, as I hold my hand straight out to her. I give her a smile, trying not to drop any sarcasm and the like in my usual tone.

I see Carly shake her head in embarrassment or something at the moment, but she then puts her hand in mine.

I immediately plant a kiss to it before leading her out onto the dance floor.

I know there's a fuss about us going on, but… I couldn't care less about that.

We stop at the center and I begin to lead Carly in the dance. The lights dim and it's almost perfect; I only see Carly in front of me in the dim light and she sees me, as well, but she does not seem to know how I really feel.

_"Look how she lights up the sky," _I sing to myself, as I see her inner charm lighting up the room and the ceiling. It's perfect. _"Ma Belle my sweet Carly."_

I do an underarm turn with her, and while she seems somewhat okay with this, it does not seem to be what I wanted right now.

_"She's so close to me, but I… hope her heart belongs to only me," _I sing, as I keep waltzing with her. _"Je t'adore, je t'aime, my sweet Carly."_

I spin her around on the dance floor, with everyone else watching; I ignore them, and try my best to keep my attention towards Carly.

_"My princess of the night; so sweet, so bright," _I sing, quietly, so she won't hear me. _"If someone as beautiful as she… could love a prince like me…"_

I dip her down a little bit and then raise her back up as I sing, _"Love always finds a way… It's true. And I love you, my sweet Carly."_

Carly seems to get into the swing of the things, and then we started really dancing well together; she and I seem to be oblivious of the others around us, including the other princes, and I feel like we're getting somewhere.

_"Love is beautiful… Love is wonderful… Love is everything! Does she agree? Hopefully…" _I sing, and then I dip Carly down more. _"Look how she lights up the sky…"_

She looks up at me, and her eyes reflect whatever light there is around us. I smile dreamily – I hope she doesn't notice – and I slowly bring her back up.

_"I love you, my sweet Carly…" _I sing, and then the lights turn back up; I mentally curse myself for hoping that this could have gone on forever.

We keep dancing and I feel my heart accelerating again.

"What's your issue?" I hear Carly ask.

"What do you mean?" I reply, confused.

"There's something off about you this time around." Carly states.

"I'm not. I'm the same as always." I say to her; I can't tell her I'm happy to be dancing with her.

"Is that so?" I hear Carly ask, lifting an eyebrow; she's not convinced.

I hear a rumbling noise, and I notice it's coming from Carly's stomach. She looks down; must be embarrassed.

I don't react, and I continue with the steps.

After a few more minutes of dancing, I bring Carly over to the wall.

"You wait here." I say to her; I have some other things to take care of.

"Okay…" She says.

I soon head off.

_~End of Sieg's POV~_

While standing about, I see Hans coming over, and he's pushing a cart.

"Miss Carly, I've brought you some food. I thought you might be hungry." Hans says.

"Oh, thank you. I'm starving." I say.

My stomach was rumbling during the dance; for crying out loud, I hate it when that happens…

"Wow! Rice balls! Is it okay to eat them?" I ask.

"Of course." Hans says to me.

I take a rice ball and I sink my teeth into it. I smile brightly and I say, "These are so good!"

"Hehe, you must really like rice balls." Hans tells me.

"Yeah; I'm happy to be seeing familiar food. I think the fabulous, rich foods at the parties are delicious, but it gives me stomach pains; must upset my stomach." I say.

"I'm glad to see you so happy." Hans says.

Something in my mind clicks; I realize something: why would a royal have something as common as rice balls in a place like this? Especially on account of how high-class this party is.

"Why do you normal rice here…?" I ask, raising an eyebrow.

"Well…" Hans begins explaining, but…

"I said I'd make something for you, didn't I?" I hear someone say; I turn to the direction of the voice and I see Prince Sieg out of nowhere. And he's looking smug as always…

When he said that he would make something for me…

"No way… You made these?!" I ask, quite surprised. "But how? This is just normal home cooking. How do you know something like this?"

"My grandmother taught me." Prince Sieg says.

Wait…

"King Joshua's Queen?" I inquire; I just want to make sure. After all, it could be his maternal grandmother or his paternal grandmother.

"Exactly." Sieg says.

Now that I think about it, the story of Prince Joshua and his princess was no big secret; the hardships they encountered were no match for their love. So, even after fifty years of their love, the Queen is still an icon of admiration for women and girls on an international basis.

"I learned to cook from my grandmother," Prince Sieg informs me. "She was from a common background, so these are all simple foods. They taste great, though."

"Really?" I ask.

"Try something else." Prince Sieg says to me.

_~Sieg's POV~_

I watch Carly take a bite of the omelet I made for her, and while I know this is inappropriate…

"How is it…?" I ask, hoping it's good.

"This is fabulous. It's really comforting and filling…" She says, with a big smile and with a whole heart.

I relax, and tell her, "I thought these flavors would be perfect for you."

I feel so much better, and I give her a big smile.

"Anyway, are you gonna eat them all?" I ask; this is a lot, even for her.

"I'm starving," Carly says. "I hadn't eaten a thing since breakfast."

"I know. Your stomach was rumbling during the dance." I point out.

"I was hoping you didn't notice…" Carly says, face-palming herself.

"There's no way I couldn't; with how close we were together, it's sort of impossible not to hear…" I say; her face goes red. "Even if you're that hungry, are you sure you can eat all of this?"

"Of course I can; it's be a waste to just leave it to rot, especially since you made it for me." She says to me.

That reminds me of a few things my grandmother said… She would often rant about food going to waste.

I guess that's another thing about Carly that attracts me to her.

"Hahaha." I laugh, and I can't help it.

"What's so funny?" Carly asks me, getting on the defensive.

"Sorry, you just reminded me of my grandmother; she would always say 'don't waste food', and the like." I say to her.

"Seriously…?" She asks, blushing.

"Hey, Pastry Cutie, what are you eating there?" I hear someone say.

Oh, no… It's Oliver.

We all turn to see Oliver, Hayden, Aslan, and Kuon coming over to us.

"Prince Sieg cooked me some food that his grandmother taught him to cook." Carly says to them.

"I heard the rumors, but you really are smitten, aren't you?" Kuon says to me, with a smile.

Crap, he, Hayden, and Oliver know me too well for my own good… But I try to keep my poker face on and relax.

"I don't know what you're talking about." I say.

"And yet, the two of you were off in your own little world during that dance." Oliver points out.

I change the subject and ask, "Did you come to mock me?"

"Whoa, scary! Can I try some of this, too?" Oliver asks.

Heck no!

"It's not for you." I say; is this guy an idiot? I'm trying to court a girl with my cooking skills here.

I'm distracted with this conversation, when…

"Thanks for the delicious cake earlier." Prince Aslan says; he takes Carly's hand into his own with a smile.

"Er, no problem…" Carly said, but her body language told me that while she was charmed, she tried not to show it.

That little desert snake! I can't believe that he's making moves on my girl!

"Aslan… you don't need to show gratitude over a mere cake," I say, cutting in. "It's her job to make excellent desserts."

I hear Hayden chuckle, and then he says, "You've gotta be less confrontational, Sieg."

I see Carly gazing into Hayden's eyes, and this annoys me even more; especially since Hayden's right.

_~End of Sieg's POV~_

* * *

><p>The party is beginning to wind down and I step out onto the deck to get some fresh air. I look up to the sky and see that not only is it nighttime, it's also filled with stars. But before I could <em>really<em> enjoy myself…

"What?! The boat's not going back to port tonight?!" I shout, hearing the news of the schedule.

"You didn't know…?" Kuon asks me.

"No…" I say, slapping myself in the face.

Snap, now what? Where can I go…? As I'm beginning to lose my cool, I hear Prince Sieg call over to Hans.

"Hans, go and check." Sieg says.

"Yes, right away." Hans says, and then he leaves us for a while.

A few minutes later, he comes back and says, "I'm so sorry! It seems like there was a mix-up and no room has been prepared for you…"

"Are you serious?!" I say, freaked out.

"There isn't a spare room for her?" Oliver asks.

"I checked, but unfortunately, they're all full…" Hans states.

"Well, this is a problem…" Aslan says.

That's the truth… What a stroke of bad luck.

"What? A girl can't sleep on a bench?" I say, giving a thumb-jerk over to a bench that I see on the deck.

"That's a bench… and it's outside." Kuon points out.

Sieg starts laughing all of a sudden and then says, "You're a funny girl, offering to sleep out on the deck!"

I see that he's holding his sides while laughing, and there's something about this statement that annoys me.

"I'm impressed by your boldness, but I can't allow that," Sieg says, and then he takes hold of my arm. "Come with me."

"Now hold it! Where are you taking me?" I ask, a little annoyed.

"To my room," Prince Sieg explains, and I give him a pretty surprised face. "Your other clothes are there, so it's perfect, right?"

"S-Sieg?!" I shout, quite surprised.

"Your other clothes…?" Oliver asks us.

Nuts… That's going to give others the wrong idea.

"So it's already… like that between you two?" Aslan inquires to us.

"Don't be idiots!" I say, trying to make things clear.

"Really?" Oliver asks me.

"Yeah. Carly just used my room when she changed into her dress." Sieg explains; thanks for backing me.

"But it's pretty suspicious, the way you were both so quick to deny it…" Oliver says.

Sieg and Hans lead me back to Sieg's room, and then we both go into the cabin on the boat.

"Go ahead." Hans says.

"Thanks…" I begin, a bit nervous.

For crying out loud, even though I've been in this room once before, I'm still stiff as partially dried clay as I walk in. What am I gonna do?! I can't _really_ spend the night in Sieg's room, can I?!

For the moment, I sit on the sofa, and I sip the herbal tea that Hans pours for me; I try to relax, but it's impossible. After all, I'm really aware of Prince Sieg's presence next to me.

"Hans, that'll be all for today." Sieg says, and hearing this, I go from clay to stone…

"Understood. Well then, excuse me and good night." Hans says, as he then leaves the room.

Once the door shuts, my body goes stiff again and I try to make some distance. Now I'm worried...

"What is it? You've been awfully quiet. Are you ill?" Sieg asks me.

"I'm okay…" I say, trying not to stammer.

As I lift my head up, I'm face-to-face with Sieg.

"Uh…" Sieg says, I end up looking away.

What is _wrong_ with me?! As soon as I break eye contact, the atmosphere just turns awkward. I don't know why I'm so conscious of him right now! Whether or not it's due to the teasing of the other princes, I don't know…

I hear Prince Sieg clear his throat, and then he says, "Today must have been tiring for you."

"No, everyone was happy with the cake; pair with that the fact I got to try your cooking, it was a great day." I say, albeit I'm still redder than an apple.

"Really? It's been a while since I cooked, so it was fun for me too," Prince Sieg admits. "I often cooked for parties back in DresVan, but… Recently, they haven't had the right sort of atmosphere for it."

"Are you serious?" I begin.

"Yeah. There are a lot more parties I skip out on now," Sieg explains to me. "They all just feel pointless."

Now that I think about it, Oliver and the others had spoken of a lot of extravagant parties being held in DresVan.

"They're completely different… The King…" Sieg begins.

"Yes…?" I ask, worried about him; what?!

He frowns for a moment, but then he looks up and says, "No, it's nothing… By the way, about your cakes…"

"Yes?" I ask.

"Give me the recipe." Prince Sieg says to me.

"The recipe? Are you serious?" I ask him.

"Yeah, I wanna challenge myself to bake cakes next," Prince Sieg explains to me. "I've already mastered general cooking."

"You? Baking? Hehehe…" I say, before chuckling; I don't know why, but when I imagine it, it's kinda cute.

"Are you laughing at me?" Prince Sieg asks me.

"No. I just think that it's a great idea," I say. "Since you're good at cooking, you'll pick up baking in a snap."

"You think so?" Sieg asks me, looking happy; his eyes soften. "Your cakes have a nostalgic taste, just like the food my grandmother made. I want to try and reproduce them myself."

I feel my heart flutter at that explanation; his expression is tender, like when he held his hand out to me on the dance floor.

He blinks, and I don't know why, but my eyes are drawn to his eyelashes. I manage to snap out of it.

"Well, let's go to bed. Get up." Prince Sieg says, taking me by the arm and pulling me towards the bedroom.

"To bed?!" I say, nearly shouting.

"What? It's late. We should sleep." Prince Sieg says.

"Not the issue…" I begin; as if I can tell him that I'm scared of sharing the same bed… Assuming that's what's going to happen.

"Or is it that you want a goodnight kiss?" Prince Sieg asks me; he lifts my chin and brings his face to mine.

"Don't be an idiot!" I say, blushing red.

"You're incredibly stubborn, but you lose your nerve pretty quick." Prince Sieg says.

"N-N-Not true! Idiot!" I say.

"Then you don't mind?" Prince Sieg asks me.

He opens the bedroom door and I'm immediately afraid of what I've gotten myself into.

* * *

><p><strong>Crap, now I'm stuck in the same room as Prince Sieg. What's gonna happen. I'm not really sure, but it seems like I'm too anxious for my own good, but what does Sieg want to do with me?!<strong>


	4. Chapter 4

**Oh, no! Now I'm stuck in the same room as Sieg and I'm losing my mind as to what's going to happen. But when he pushes me in alone, I start to relax a bit. But once all is said and done, I end up seeing Sieg again in the most unexpected way. I also end up overhearing Oliver joke about Sieg falling in love at first sight. What the heck? Is that possible for someone like him? Contains adaptation of "A Guy Like You" from Disney's "Hunchback Of Notre Dame"**

* * *

><p>He opens the bedroom door and I'm immediately afraid of what I've gotten myself into. However, he merely pushes me in alone.<p>

This surprises me, but it's also a relief.

"You look disappointed?" Sieg points out. "Did you think we were gonna sleep together?"

"It was a concern…" I say, trying to sound relieved, but I'm still red as an apple.

Much to my chagrin, Prince Sieg looks like he's enjoying the teasing he's putting me through.

"Sleep well." Sieg says to me.

"What about you?" I inquire.

"I'll sleep in the living room." Prince Sieg says, thumb-jerking behind him.

"Shouldn't it be the other way around?" I ask.

"You might not be nobility, but you're still a woman," Prince Sieg explains. "Making a woman sleep on the sofa wouldn't be very prince-like. So, get to bed."

"Thanks…" I say, trying not to sound suspicious; I shut the door and hop into bed.

The next morning, I wake up and leave the bedroom and I see Hans had come in.

"Good morning, Miss Carly. Did you sleep well?" He asks me.

"Thank you, but… where's Sieg?" I ask Hans, seeing he is not in the room.

"Sieg is attending a breakfast meeting," Hans explains. "He won't be back until just before the ship docks."

"Okay… I've got work at the store, so once we dock, I gotta go back." I explain.

I wanted to thank Sieg face-to-face, but seeing as that he and I are of two different worlds, I just decide to give the note I have to Hans.

"Sieg wanted the cake recipe I made; I wrote it down for him," I say. "Could you pass this on to him? And could you also thank him for letting me use the room?"

Hans takes the note into his hands, and then he tells me, "I'll make sure he gets it."

"Thank you." I say with a nod and a smile.

"Um, Miss Carly?" Hans asks me.

"What's up?" I ask Hans.

"Did you have fun last night?" Hans asks me.

I think of everything that's happened. The beautiful dress and the dancing, tasting Sieg's cooking, when he asked me for my cake recipe, and overall, I had a great night.

"Yes, I had a top-notch time!" I say with a big smile.

Hans smiles, seemingly relieved, and then everything seems to go without a hitch for the rest of the day.

I then leave the boat, and I have a new memory that I'll treasure for the rest of my life.

* * *

><p>A few days later, May comes over to my house and I make sure that no one is around; I shut the doors, and everything, because I intend on telling her everything that's happened.<p>

"Why the paranoia?" May asks, as she sits on the bed and we share in some lemonade that I make.

"You'll never believe what's been happening to me recently…" I begin, and then I tell May the whole story from the dance at Nobel Michel castle to him dragging me around to events of other sorts.

"No joke?!" May asks, quite surprised.

"Have you ever known me to lie?" I inquire to May.

"No…" May said. "Now I know why you want me to keep this on the down low."

"I just don't understand… I know I reminded him of his grandmother; at least, that's what he said to me. Other than that, I have no idea why he even wants me to hang around him." I say, venting.

"Because he likes you!" May says to me with a smile and a wink. "Between the two of us, you're the cute one."

"Didn't you say _you_ were the cute one?" I inquire.

"No, I'm the boy-crazy, chatty one with fashion as a passion." May says to me with a laugh.

That's May for you; she's quite the romantic. Any time a cute guy comes around us, she's on matchmaker mode. It's not like she means any harm, but there are times where it can get a little overbearing.

"Are you really sure, May?" I ask, skeptical. "I know I've been hit on by men in the past, but a _prince_? A prince who _likes_ me? That's insane…"

"Listen, Carly, I'm sure that there are princes out there who couldn't care less about social status and just want true love like anyone else," May said, as she stood up and put her lemonade on the coaster. "You're irresistible; one of a kind! Besides, noblewoman and high-class ladies might not be his type, and those girls are pretty common; a dime a dozen!"

May and I are known for duet singing rants, and it's not uncommon for me to do a solo. But this time, it's May doing the solo.

_"Look. Our fair Nobel Michel is glowing this evening… Sigh… True, that's because it's still daylight," _May sang, before turning back to me. _"But still, there's 'l'amour'…"_

I roll my eyes a bit and then May went back to singing, _"Somewhere out there in our sight… His heart is hot and alight…"_

May then brought me over to the mirror and sat me down in the chair before singing, _"And I know the girl he just might be yearning for…"_

I soon get what she's trying to say, but I shake it off; that's the most ridiculous thing ever!

_"A girl like you… He's never known, gal. A girl like you, a man does not meet every day," _May sang, as she stood me back up and looked me in the eye. _"You've got a style that's all your own, gal."_

She crosses her eyes and then sees two of me for a few seconds, and then sings, _"Could there be two, like you?"_

_"As if!" _We sing together; I sing the line because I know that it's impossible of two of me to exist.

_"Those other girls with whom he'd mingle, all act the same no matter what the point of view!" _May sang, as she kicked a few nesting dolls that were identical and then they all fell over.

May spins me around and then she dresses me up a little bit with some clothes she had brought over with her.

_"It's a surprise that you're still single. Mon Dieu above, he's gotta love a girl like you!" _May sang to me, as she stopped spinning me and put a spotlight on me.

_"A girl like you gets extra credit," _May said, as she pulled out an exam that I had that gave me a score higher than 100%, much to my embarrassment. _"Because you really have a certain something more; you're aces, girl!"_

She brings me to the mirror and she sings, _"You see your face? One can't forget it!"_

She gives me a makeover and I come out looking like Marie Antoinette, before she sings, _"Want something new? That's you! For sure!"_

May then pulls out a Madonna picture and says, _"We all have gaped at some Madonna. But then we crave a meal more nourishing to chew!"_

She then puts a chocolate bar in front of my face and sings, _"And since you're sweet, like a chocolate is… No question of, he's gotta love a girl like you!"_

May then dresses as a singer and sings, _"Call me a hopeless romantic, but Carly, I feel it! He wants you so any moment, he'll walk through your door!"_

May gestured to a door, before singing, _"For… A girl so swell. A girl like you, with all you bring him, a fool could tell it's why he fell for you-know-who! You're just so swell… You're a humdinger!"_

May changed clothes into something one would see in Charles Kingdom women before singing, _"When he says 'ooh-la-la', then he wants 'you-la-la'… He will discover girl, you're one heck of a girl…"_

May then dressed me up as a pageant queen and then put a false crown on my head before singing, _"Who wouldn't love a girl like you? You've got a lot the rest have not, so he's gotta love a girl like you!"_

May started fanning rose petals at me before I change my clothes and go back to normal.

"Don't be ridiculous, May," I say. "It's hard enough for me to believe that he wanted my recipe… So the idea of him having feelings for me is completely outlandish."

"I understand what you're saying, but anything is possible." May said.

"Promise to keep this a secret?" I say.

"Promise." May says, in reply.

* * *

><p>After that, things seem to go back to normal. <em>Seem to<em>, I say. It's been about a week since the boat trip.

I'm at Patisserie Brown, working really hard, and I don't know why, but business is picking up; it's really busy.

"Carly, the store's getting a bit busy. Could you give me a hand?" Yosef asks me.

"Ready and willing, Yosef!" I say, with enthusiasm.

I go out to the register area and then I say, "Welcome!"

There are customers crowding the entire store, but something is _definitely _wrong; I see that they're not eyeing the cakes; they're staring at a man in dark sunglasses. I don't know why, but I get chills up my spine at the sight of him. He seems familiar.

"Hey, Carly. That guy's pretty hot, right? I feel like I've seen him before. Is he an actor?" One of my coworkers asks me.

"Yes… I feel like I know him from somewhere, too…" I say, but my mind immediately goes to Prince Sieg.

The man in question turns towards me and comes over.

"Who's the pastry chef who wrote this recipe?" He asks, and then my eyes bulge out of my head when I see the note he has in his hand.

Crap, it _IS_ Sieg! Why is _he_ here?!

"That's mine." I say, trying to be discreet about the identity of this person.

There's no doubt about it: it's the recipe I gave Prince Sieg last week.

"I wrote that," I say. "But could we step outside?"

I drag Prince Sieg to the back of the building to make sure we have some privacy; can't have nosy paparazzi and the like nosing around.

"What's the idea, coming by the store without any protection?!" I start barking. "Do you have any idea what could happen?! If they find out that you're _the_ Prince Sieg, it's going to be chaotic!"

"That's why I'm in disguise. Duh." Prince Sieg says to me.

"I'm not an idiot," I say with a scoff. "What are you doing here?"

"It's your fault I come out unprotected to your little cake shop, you know." Sieg says to me.

"How is it _my_ fault?" I say, getting a little angry.

"You left your recipe behind and not a word after." He tells me.

"You idiot," I say. "As if I can just call up the castle and expect you to talk to me."

This guy! He's the one who asked for the recipe, and I left it there for him! For crying out loud!

"That's fair. I told you I wanted to recreate your cake myself. You expect a perfectionist like me to do it by following directions on a paper?" Prince Sieg asks me.

"What are you…?" I begin, but then my skin pales at the thought that comes up next. "Oh, no! NO WAY! You want me to _teach_ you how to make this cake?!"

"So you _can_ connect the dots like that." Prince Sieg says to me, smirking.

I press up against the wall, as Prince Sieg leans over me. I'm ready to defend myself should something happen, but while Sieg has yet to make me feel like I'm danger, you never know what might happen.

"I won't take no for an answer. I'm not about cutting corners," Sieg says to me. "When I need to accomplish something, I do it right. You're gonna help me."

I give in and sigh.

Later, I tell Yosef that I'm planning on hanging back to get some practice done to improve my skills.

"Carly, I'm impressed that you're staying behind to practice! Good luck!" Yosef told me.

"T-Thanks, Yosef. See you tomorrow." I tell Yosef.

I hate lying like this… Because he doesn't know what's _really_ going on.

After Yosef closes the door, I sigh in relief; however, I hear a knock at the back door, and I know _full well_ who it is…

I open the door, saying, "Coast is clear."

Prince Sieg comes in, and he grumpily says, "Late as usual. How long were you gonna keep me waiting?"

"Hey, I was going to keep you waiting as long I needed to," I bark. "I had to wait until everyone else left. How would you like it if you got caught and caused a commotion?"

Here's what happened: I agreed to teach Prince Sieg how to bake the cake, but the catch was that we can't do it during work hours, so I managed to persuade and convince Prince Sieg that it would be best for him to wait until we closed.

"Let's get started." Sieg says, as he washes his hands with some gusto.

Nice enthusiasm he has. This is impressive.

"First things first: we need to get the scale, ingredients, and bake ware." I say, as I gather up a digital scale with a tare function, a large bowl, and more.

"Ingredients and bake ware? Isn't that just common sense?" Prince Sieg asks.

"That's true, but in baking, it's _key_ to get the ingredients right and in the right amounts; if any of the ingredients are wrong or off by even one eighth of an ounce, the whole thing could flop." I tell him.

"So if cooking is an art… baking is an exact science!" Sieg says.

"Exactly." I say with a nod; he's quick on the uptake.

About half an hour in on the session, we're already at the flour stage.

"Is this how you mix the flour?" Sieg asks me.

"Right," I say with a nod. "Just take big scoops from the _bottom_ of the bowl."

"Big scoops…" Sieg says, and I notice he's absorbed in the baking.

I notice that he's a little meeker than normal; I don't hear much in the way of sarcastic commentary, and at the same time, he's got his game face on.

_~Sieg's POV~_

I catch Carly staring at me, and I feel my heart beat just a little bit faster.

"Didn't I already tell you it's rude to stare?" I ask her.

"Hey, I'm not the one who's acting different." Carly says in defense.

"Are my baking skills whisking your heart away?" I inquire, trying to turn on my charm.

"That isn't funny," Carly says to me. "Don't be an idiot."

She was quite fast to deny that, but I decide to change the subject. Her saying that I'm an idiot kind of hurts, though.

"Baking is a whole different beast than cooking." I tell her.

"It needs a different skill set and a lot of attention to detail." Carly informs me.

"Right, so even though I may be good at cooking, baking might be something I can't do at all…" I say.

"You really like cooking, don't you?" Carly says.

"Yeah, I guess it's my hobby." I tell her.

"I'm sure your grandmother would love it if she heard you say that." Carly says to me.

I get back to work and things seem to be going just fine, when…

We hear rattling somewhere, and then we realize that it's the store door that was being opened. Carly and I lock our eyes together, in a big panic, and now I'm a bit worried as to what was going to happen.

"Oh, no! Someone's coming! What do we do?" Carly said, about to panic. "Sieg, you need to hide!"

"Hide? I'm not doing something that undignified!" I protest.

"This isn't the time to be a royal brat!" Carly says, as she pushes me into the shadow of a closet.

She trips, and then she screeches a bit before I catch her, and her face ends up landing on my chest. I wrap my arms around her and I feel my own heart pounding.

"E-Excuse me…" Carly said to me and blushed.

"N-No problem…" I say to her, as I hold her.

We heard the kitchen door open, and we hold our breath.

"Huh? Is someone here?" We hear someone ask from aloud.

Carly tries to pull away from me, but then I pull her back in. A part of me just wanted to hold her longer.

"Don't move. You'll look like a weirdo if you just pop out of the closet." I tell her, whispering in her ear, and squeeze my arms around her.

"Now hold on…" Carly was about to protest.

"Probably Carly… She _did_ say that she was going to stay and practice." The employee said; she looks around, as if checking for something, and then leaves.

The door shuts and then we let our breath in relief.

"She gone?" I ask.

"Yeah, she is," Carly says, before sighing heavily. "Sheesh, my heart's still pounding."

"Your heart?" I ask; my heart throbs at this statement and I'm hoping she means the intimacy between us has stimulated her feelings.

"Yep," Carly says, and I'm eager to hear what she has to say, but… My hopes are dashed. "I was positive that no one would be coming back tonight."

"So that's what you meant…" I say, sadly.

"What did you _think_ that I meant?" Carly asks me, a little impudently.

"Nothing," I say, my face a bit red. "It's a real pain to work in secret like this."

_~End of Sieg's POV~_

Sieg was right about working in secret.

"You're right," I say in agreement. "We could get busted."

"Next time, you'll come and teach me at the castle." Sieg says out of nowhere.

"Beg your pardon?!" I say in surprise.

A few days after that, I had just finished work for the day, and I find myself at Nobel Michel castle once again. I always thought that I would never come back, but now that I'm here, it's so surreal.

I start getting nervous as I see Hans coming out to greet me, and I get tense.

"Thank you very much for coming all the way here." Hans says to me, smiling.

"I'm honored that I'm allowed to use the kitchens again." I say with a smile.

"Sieg's in a meeting that's running overtime, so could you wait for him in the kitchens?" Hans asks me.

I nod and say, "Yes."

I make it to the kitchens and I start getting everything ready. I take out a digital scale and a lot of large bowls, plus a scoop and the pans used for the item in question.

"Let's see, cake flour… Dark brown sugar… Baking soda… Eggs… Milk…" I begin, as I keep working on getting everything I need ready.

However, I'm interrupted when I hear the sound of voices, and it seems like they're getting closer.

"Oh, there you are, Pastry Cutie." Prince Oliver says, out of nowhere.

"Oliver… It's been a long time." I say, trying to be nice, but not come off all wrong.

Prince Hayden and Prince Aslan come out from behind Prince Oliver and then Aslan starts to speak up.

"We're all gonna go out for drinks tonight, but Sieg turned us down." Aslan said, with that smile on his face he always has.

"When we asked what he was planning on, he said he had a lesson with you." Oliver informed me.

"He was quite secretive about it…" Hayden says.

"So _this_ is where you all went to when you suddenly disappeared." Sieg says, as he comes in, and he has a frown on his face; he doesn't seem happy…

"Well, when we heard the Pastry Cutie was here, we just had to pay her a visit." Oliver said in response.

"You don't need to go out of your way to say hi." Sieg says.

Once again, he's being quite venomous to the other princes. I don't know why, but I've noticed that whenever I'm talking with the other princes when Sieg's around, he gets sour. It's like he just goes from a sweet strawberry to a sour lemon in an instant when they're around.

"What's this?" Oliver asks, picking up a sieve.

"Oh, that's a sieve. We use that to sift the flour to undo any lumps in the flour. This keeps the texture of the sweets smooth and even." I explain, albeit I think I went a bit too far.

"Ooh, I see. I kinda wanna give it a try, too," Oliver says, impressed, and then he turns to Prince Hayden. "What about you, Hayden? You wanna try baking?"

"I… Don't really care." Hayden replies.

"Will you teach us, too?" Aslan asks me.

I look around and notice that I don't have enough ingredients for five people.

"I don't have enough ingredients prepared, so how about some other time?" I ask.

"Haha, that's a polite way to turn us down." Aslan says, with a laugh.

"Well, you'd better at least let us try the sweets you two make," Oliver says to me, before turning to Sieg. "That's not too much to ask, is it Sieg?"

"Hm? Uh, sure…" Sieg says, a little absentmindedly.

"It shouldn't take too long," I say. "We'll be making cookies."

"Oh, you make cookies, too?" Hayden asks me.

"Yes," I say. "Sieg's a quick study, so cookies won't be the only things we'll be trying."

"We'll be looking forward to trying them." Aslan says.

The other princes soon leave, and then I'm left alone with Sieg.

Once they're gone, Sieg heaves a big sigh, and says, "Those guys even butt into my private time…"

"It just proves that they're your friends," I say to Sieg. "Besides, you're all working hard together for the Nobel Expo."

"I just…" Sieg begins, and then is gazing at me.

"Yes?" I ask Sieg.

"No, it's nothing," Sieg says to me, as if deciding not to speak up. "Should I start by melting the butter?"

Later, I'm walking down the corridor with a tray of fresh cookies. Sieg was called away for something regarding his public duties, so I took over from there. I'm bringing the cookies to the other princes. I'm anxious to see whether or not the other princes will be surprised that Sieg was the one who made them.

However, as I'm about to grab the doorknob, I hear my name being spoken from inside the room where the princes are waiting.

"Carly is…"

What the? They're talking about me? I then decide to listen in and I hesitate to enter the room.

"Sieg must be really into her. I can't believe he invited her to the castle." Oliver says.

"How long's it been going on? It seems like he's known her since before he chose her as a candidate bride." I hear Aslan say.

"Probably since that party. I heard he gave her a lift on the way to the castle or something." Oliver says.

"That was it?" Aslan asks.

"Maybe it was love at first sight?" Oliver asks.

"You seriously think that could happen to Sieg?" Hayden asks.

"But it's not like I don't understand his feelings. That girl has a mysterious charm. She makes everything around her seem brighter." I hear Aslan say.

This conversation makes me a little confused. Sieg fell in love with me at first sight? That's ridiculous. Yes, love at first sight may happen every now and again, but let's get real here: would someone with Sieg's personality _really_ fall in love at first sight?

"Carly." I hear someone talk to me from behind.

"Gah!" I shout, and then turn around to see Sieg.

"What are you doing loitering around here?" Sieg asks me in curiousity.

"Oh, um, I brought the cookies, but I don't think now's the right time; it sounds like they're having an important conversation or something." I say.

Since the other princes were talking about Sieg, I'm beginning to become a bit self-conscious.

"An important conversation?" Sieg asks me. "It's just their usual, inane chatter. Give me the tray."

He takes the tray from my hands and then he knocks on the door. We come into the room and we present the other princes with the cookies.

"Here they are." Sieg says, as he puts down the tray.

"Finally! We've been looking forward to it." Oliver says, eagerly.

Prince Sieg starts explaining the flavors of the cookies to Prince Oliver and the others.

I, on the other hand, am not really paying attention. I keep it quiet, but I can't stop thinking about what Oliver and the others said earlier. Sieg? Falling in love? That's impossible to imagine. I can't imagine him falling in love with any girl, much less me. But after hearing about him falling in love at first sight, I can't help but think of whether or not it could happen to him.

"Hey, Carly, you listening?" Sieg asks me, snapping me out of my daze.

"Eh?" I ask, as I shake my head.

"I asked what kind of nuts are in this one." Sieg says to me.

"Oh, yes, those are macadamias…" I say, but then I feel Prince Hayden's gaze is on me.

"Something wrong?" Prince Hayden asks me.

"Oh, nothing, nothing's wrong…" I begin, but even as I say it and try to deny it, I can't make eye contact with either Prince Sieg or Prince Hayden.

It's been a few days, and I have a day off right now. So, right now, I'm just lounging around and looking through books to try and figure out what I can teach Sieg next. We've covered cakes and cookies so far, so I'm looking for something a little more complex, like croissants and puff pastry.

_"Maybe it was love at first sight?"_

I suddenly remember what Prince Oliver had said. Now that I remember it, Prince Sieg did have me as a candidate bride at a marriage interview. However, his poor treatment of me made me forget almost immediately. And Sieg never really replied on the issue, either.

"Come on! I bet that it wasn't even a marriage interview to begin with!" I say, before going back to looking through the pictures.

However, as soon as I go back to lounging around, my cell phone starts ringing.

I pick up the phone and ask, "Hello?"

"Miss Carly, it's Hans," I hear Hans over the phone. "I'm calling with a message from Sieg."

Speak of the devil… I guess?

"From Sieg?" I inquire.

"There's something he wants to give you. He'd like you to come to the castle." Hans said.

That gets me a little curious. What could Sieg want to give me? It's unusual, especially because I can be so sassy towards him.

I don't give it much more thought; knowing how impatient that guy can be, I decide to make a run for it to the castle. I try to be as discreet as possible to make sure I don't cause a scandal. Sieg hates it enough as it is that most people only see him for his title, so for him to get to into a scandal due to me being careless would make him lose his temper like a volcano that ate at least three whole Habanero chili peppers.

* * *

><p><strong>And that's that. However, next time, things are going to go from sweet to sour. It's all about madeleines in the next episode, but why is it causing tension between the two of us. <strong>


	5. Chapter 5

**For crying out loud… I end up sharing the gift Sieg gives me with others, but when I tell him the good news, he doesn't let me finish the whole thing and ends up shutting me out, thinking that I used him. Hey, I'm not like that! **

* * *

><p>"Miss Carly, it's Hans," I hear Hans over the phone. "I'm calling with a message from Sieg."<p>

Speak of the devil… I guess?

"From Sieg?" I inquire.

"There's something he wants to give you. He'd like you to come to the castle." Hans said.

That gets me a little curious. What could Sieg want to give me? It's unusual, especially because I can be so sassy towards him.

I don't give it much more thought; knowing how impatient that guy can be, I decide to make a run for it to the castle. I try to be as discreet as possible to make sure I don't cause a scandal. Sieg hates it enough as it is that most people only see him for his title, so for him to get to into a scandal due to me being careless would make him lose his temper like a volcano that ate at least three whole Habanero chili peppers.

Once I make it to the castle, I decide not to dawdle and I make a beeline for Sieg's office. I knock a few times and then open the door before walking in.

"Miss Carly, good to see you." Hans greets me.

"She's here?" Sieg says, and then I look in his direction.

I see that piles of documents surround him; heavy documents at that, as well. I see him give me a glance before looking back down and going back to working. Thinking that, in spite of him calling me here, he's a really busy bee, I decide to make this quick and not waste time.

I walk over to his desk and I see him signing documents faster than a Peregrine falcon about to stoop.

I look over his shoulder and see him signing his name, and I think about how he does it. It's very formal and impressive. So that's how his name is signed…

He looks up, and starts staring at me for some reason.

"Carly…" He says.

"What's the matter?" I ask.

I don't know why, but the way he says it causes my heart to accelerate. What's going on?!

"You… have absolutely no sense of style, as usual." Sieg says to me.

I literally feel like an anvil dropped on my head with the word "poor fashion sense" on it, and this only gets my blood boiling.

"Wha…?" I begin.

"But I guess there's no point in saying that now." Sieg says to me.

"Hey, you're the one who was an idiot and called me at the last minute! Don't blame _me_ for poor timing!" I bark back.

"Whatever. Come closer." He says to me.

I reluctantly comply. Ugh, I get all anxious and excited, and then he goes and bursts my bubble and flattens my soufflé! I should have known better than to believe Sieg would have fallen in love with me at first sight.

I go closer to the desk and then something sweet catches my nose.

"This smell…" I say, trying to pinpoint the name of the dessert.

"It's madeleines." Sieg says, as he holds out a basket to me; it was a basket that was on the desk.

"What's this for?" I ask him; I'm not sure what he's getting at.

"My skills have improved. I thought it was time to try making something of my own." Sieg explains to me.

"Wow! You made those? That's great!" I say, feeling really proud. "I guess when Hans said you had something to give me, these madeleines were what he was talking about."

"Don't get the wrong idea! It's not like I made them especially for you," Sieg says, a bit flustered. "I just wanted you to taste-test them."

Where'd he get that idea? No one said anything about him making the madeleines for me specifically.

"A-Anyway, go ahead and try one." Sieg tells me.

I shrug a bit and then take a madeleine out of the basket; I undo the wrapping and then I look at it. I see specks of black in the yellow batter, and that only means one thing: vanilla bean. I take a bite and I can clearly taste the vanilla bean in the cake.

"Mm…! Delicious! The texture of the madeleines are just right and the taste of the vanilla bean really comes through, too!"

"I know you like vanilla, so I tried adding a bit extra." Sieg tells me.

I then give him a look at that statement. Didn't he say that he didn't make them for me? If that's the case, then…?

_"Because he likes you!" _

I remember what May had told me some time after the boat party but then I shake it off.

"What is it?" Sieg asks; nuts, he caught me in thought.

"It's nothing. The shape is also perfect; they could be sold in the store. They're _that_ good." I say with a smile.

"Well, of course. I made them, after all." Sieg says, with a big smile.

I feel my chest get warm at this sight, but then I shake it off again as I can't seem to get the thought of Sieg having feelings for me out of my mind.

* * *

><p>Some time later, I've already left the castle. However, I intend on going back to Patisserie Brown to help set up for tomorrow. I'm carrying Sieg's madeleine basket on my arm and I'm humming happily.<p>

I don't know why I've become so comfortable around Sieg lately. I've seen so many sides to him, as well. But the one thing about him that's sticking out in my mind is the conversation the other princes had that I overheard some time back.

I _do_ believe in love at first sight, but it's unwise to just take the plunge as soon as it happens. This isn't some sort of fairytale, like Cinderella or the like. Then again, a commoner like me being friendly with a prince like Sieg, sort of counts as a Cinderella story. The only thing is that it's not so much a love story as it is some sort of friendship… I think. I honestly don't know where I stand with Sieg, but it's not as if I love him… Do I? But the one thing I know is that I'm happy to see how passionate Sieg is about baking.

My thoughts are interrupted when I hear the sound of a child crying. I see a little boy sitting on the ground in front of the store.

"Oh, gosh! Are you okay?!" I say, as I make a dash over to the child. I set the basket down at my feet and help the little boy up.

Another group of boys came up to me afterwards, and they all surround us.

"Hey, it's the cake lady!" One of the boys says to me.

"Hello." I say with a big smile.

"Why is he crying?" Another one of the boys asked me.

"Oh, he fell over. Oops, looks like there's some blood over there." I say, and I take out a tissue from my bag and wipe the blood off.

Good thing I carry a first-aid kit with me.

"What's in here?" The first of the boys asks me.

They're all looking into the madeleine basket.

"They're a type of cake called madeleines," I say with a gentle smile. "Wanna try one? They're excellent."

"Can I?" "I want one!" The boys cheerfully ask, and I giggle.

"Here you go," I say as I hand them a madeleine each. I also hand one to the one with the wounds. "How about you?"

"Thanks." The sniveling boy said, as he took the madeleine.

As he nibbled on it, his eyes brightened up and his tears stopped.

"Mm… Yummy!" He says, as he smiles.

"Aren't they?" I ask, with a smile, and I start laughing a bit.

This is great! Sieg's cakes can actually stop a child from crying.

The next day, I'm working at the store; I've put up a sign out in the shop window when…

"It's the cake lady from yesterday!" I hear someone say.

I turn around and I see the group of boys from the day before, accompanied by a few women, most likely their mothers.

"Mommy, she's the nice lady from yesterday!" The boy that had fallen down the other day said, pointing to me.

"Oh, thank you very much for looking after my son." The boy's mother said.

"And for giving my boy those cakes." The second mother said.

"You're very welcome. I happened to have a lot; it's no problem." I say with a laugh.

"He won't stop asking for another one." The second mother said.

This catches my attention.

"I had a bite myself, and they really are delicious. Can I buy them here?" The third mother inquired to me.

Uh-oh… This is a problem. I start wondering what to do or how to answer.

"About that…" I begin, but then Yosef comes in on the conversation.

"Carly, what's going on?" Yosef says, poking his head out of the shop.

The mother of the boy who was injured speaks up and says, "We just came to say thank you for the madeleines we got yesterday."

"Madeleines?" Yosef asks.

"I'm sorry, but we don't have them in the store. A friend of mine made them." I say.

For obvious reasons, I refrain from mentioning Sieg's name. He hates being seen for nothing more than his position; no way I would put him through that again.

"Oh, I see. That's a shame…" The second mother said, her eyes looking down.

"Aww, but I want another!" Her son complained, upset.

"If you did sell them, we'd come buy them every day." The third mother said.

"Really…?" I say.

This is starting to turn out a little strange. It's so nice that they want more and I want to give them more, too, but…

"Carly, could you recreate those madeleines?" Yosef asks me.

Looks like he and I are thinking the same thing. The saying goes 'Great minds think alike'. I wonder… Would Sieg be happy that a lot of people are eating them and that we had them in stock? My brain is telling me that Sieg would be happy, but in the back of my mind and in my gut, I'm a little reluctant for some reason.

"I'm on it." I say with a nod.

* * *

><p>As the days go on, I keep trying and failing to recreate the madeleines, but it takes me about five to eight tries to get it right. The first batch was too dense, the second one was too sweet, the third was lacking in vanilla, and the fourth one I ended up not baking enough. The fifth try, I forgot the butter, and on try number six, I added too much vanilla.<p>

After the seventh try, I finally get it right, or at least, close enough.

"Perfect!" I say, with a smile and a nod.

Once I stock the shelves with the madeleines, they begin selling like hotcakes, which, technically, they could be… Maybe?

"Carly, they're a hit!" Yosef says to me.

"I certainly didn't see that coming." I admit.

"By the way, Carly, you stamped this 'S' on top of them… What does it stand for?" Yosef asks me.

"Er… Well…" I begin. As if I can tell him that it's for 'Sieg'! Sieg hates being taken advantage of like that, so while the intention is that I want to give Sieg credit, I want it to be kept secret.

"It's for 'Special Madeleine'." I say, covering my tracks.

"Hm? Really?" Yosef asks, with a smile.

"Right. Because they're so popular and unique." I say.

A few days later, I'm humming happily as I'm once again at the castle for a lesson with Sieg. I'm really happy and I'm eager to tell Sieg about the madeleines. Once he learns that they're selling like nuts and the fact that his involvement in the whole thing is only between us, he'll be thrilled!

Wait… Why am I suddenly so happy about that guy's opinion? I shake it off and I try to make sure to focus.

"Miss Carly, you seem to be in good spirits." Hans says, as he comes out to greet me.

"I have no reason not to be," I say with a big smile. "I have something to tell Sieg."

"Something to tell Sieg? What is it?" Hans asks me.

"All I'm saying is that it's about sweets." I say with a wink.

"I see. He's been busy every day with preparations for the Expo, so your lessons are a really good break for Sieg." Hans informs me.

"That's great to hear!" I say, and this gets me even more excited to tell him the news.

I make it to the kitchen, and Sieg is already there. He seems annoyed.

"Late. You really do have no sense of propriety." Sieg says to me.

"Hey, Sieg." I say with a smile. His arrogance rolls off my back like water on a duck.

I hand over the box of madeleines I brought him and I'm just brimming with excitement.

"Took a lot of tries, but here's some of the madeleines you gave me. I recreated the formula." I say with a smile.

"Oh, yeah…?" Sieg asks me.

"Give one a try." I say.

He stuffs one in his mouth; I giggle at the sight of his cheeks puffed out.

"They're good! You nailed the flavor like a true pro." Sieg tells me.

"Really? That's a relief," I say. "When I was heading home yesterday, I gave one to a little boy was crying. Once he took a bite, he stopped crying. He wanted another."

"Great to hear." Sieg says.

"His mother said she really wanted them to be sold at the store, so I recreated your formula!" I say with a big smile.

Sieg seems speechless, but I continue.

"Your Madeleines are a bigger hit than Idina Menzel in her "Wicked" performance! They're _that_ good!" I say. "I wanted to thank you for this."

"This 'S' printed on the top…" Sieg says, but I notice that he's a little upset.

"Well… about that. While yes, it _is_ your initial, but…" I begin, but…

"I see how it is…" Sieg says, a little coldly.

"Excuse me?" I ask.

This isn't what I was expecting. His mouth is in a grim line and I thought he'd be happy, but… Now I'm not too sure.

"Sieg? Are you okay?" I inquire.

"I really thought you were different…" He says to me. "I was so wrong."

"I beg your pardon?" I inquire.

"Your shop is profiting off my name. Lucky you," Sieg says. "Don't worry, this is the last time we'll be in touch."

"Now hold it…" I being; he didn't let me finish the whole thing!

Sieg then leaves the kitchen, and an icy trail is hanging in his wake. As soon as our eyes meet, I can read his message.

"Don't ever talk to me again."

My heart pangs; I should have seen this coming… What was I thinking?!

It's been a few days, and I'm back at the store; a cloud is hanging over my head.

"Carly, you seem depressed lately. Is everything all right?" Yosef asks me.

Heck no!

"Yes…" I say, trying to hide things.

I really want to make amends with Prince Sieg, but he hasn't contacted me. Why do I feel so gross at the thought he's cut ties with me.

I guess it's safe to assume baking lessons are out of the question now. He was having fun, too. His smile from when I gave him praise floats into my mind.

I decided to stop selling the madeleines at the store.

"Hey, Cake Lady." A voice says, and I look up to see the young boy from earlier.

"Hi. Running errands for your mom?" I inquire.

"Yep! She told me to buy some madeleines." He tells me.

"Oh… We're not selling them anymore." I say, sadly.

"Huh? Really? Why not?" He asks.

"It's a long story… But all I can say is that the reasons are quite important." I say.

His shoulder slump and he's quite sad.

"Forgive me…" I say.

"I love them. They taste so warm and fluffy." He says to me.

"I concur." I say, feeling really down.

This whole thing makes me want to puke.

Later at the castle, I try to get Hans to let me talk to Sieg, but it's like hitting a brick wall.

"Please, I need to talk to Prince Sieg!" I say; I had forced my way in…

Hans shoots me a look of guilt, and he says, "Sieg's orders are to turn you away."

I don't reply.

"He's unavailable. Meetings and whatnot…" Hans says.

I know what he's _really_ saying.

"Really? Fine, I'll go home for today." I say.

"I'm truly sorry. All I can do is relay his orders." Hans says to me.

"Just… Could you tell him something for me?" I request.

"Yes, what is it?" Hans asks me.

"There's something he has to see. I need him to come by the store tomorrow once he has time." I say, getting an idea.

"There's something you want to show him…?" Hans asks.

"Yes, it's something important… for both of us." I say, as I try to appeal to Hans.

The following night, I bake up a large amount of the madeleines to sell the next day. I have this idea coming up and I think it just might be the thing to clear things up. Everyone was catching wind of the secret sale and the line began going out the door.

"Welcome!" I say, as the doors open.

A customer comes in and she says, "Oh goody! You're selling the madeleine cakes again?"

"It's a special, one-day sale!" I say with a big smile.

"Ooh, lucky! I'll take some!" The customer said, and I gave him a large amount of the madeleines, just like he wanted.

"Thank you!" I say with a large smile.

"My family loves these! We've been craving these! They have that special something the other shops can't beat!" He says.

I feel deep satisfaction watching everyone buy the batches of the madeleine cakes, and I'm feeling somewhat better. The thing is, something is still weighing on my mind: will Sieg come?

As soon as I let out a dejected sigh, I see an expensive, black car pull up a short distance away.

"Ah! Yosef, mind if I take off for a moment?" I ask.

"Uh, sure…" Yosef begins, and I immediately make a beeline for the door.

I hurry outside and I see Prince Sieg. I call out to him as he gets out of the car.

"Sieg! You're here!" I say.

"What did you want to show me?" Sieg asks me.

I see his icy stare, but I let it slide because he's here.

"Take a look: the customers. I wanted you to see for yourself the smiles your cakes are bringing." I say.

"That's all?" Sieg asks; he's not convinced…

"Not convinced?" I inquire.

"Like I said. It's not my skill that brings these people, it's my name. If they weren't 'the prince's madeleines', people wouldn't give a crap. You used me for free publicity because you knew that." Sieg says.

Now I get it.

"You know me better than that." I say.

"Don't play coy. You even branded them with an 'S' for 'Sieg'. You're just like all the other harpies that surround me." Sieg says, angrily.

I then snap and bonk him on the head.

"Hey! Ouch! What was that?" Sieg asks me.

"Idiot… I know that you hate being seen for nothing more than your title. That's why I kept the fact that they're _your_ recipe between the two of us and that alone! No one knows; not Yosef, not my coworkers, heck, none of the patrons know!" I say.

"What…?" Sieg asks me.

"They're popular because people genuinely love them! They're addicted to them! They can't get enough of them!" I say.

Sieg silently looks at everyone lining up to buy his madeleines. They're standing around eating them, smiling, and unwrapping their purchases.

"Miss Cake Lady!" I hear someone say.

I turn around and see the little boy walking with his mother, and holding a madeleine in his hand, eating it with a smile.

"You bought some more! Thanks!" I say, delighted.

"Yep, they're so yummy!" He says to me.

"We'd love it you could sell them again, for his sake!" His mother said.

"Thanks, Miss Cake Lady!" Her son says, as he and his mom walk away with big smiles.

"See? You're the cause of their smiles. Don't think that the fact you're a prince has anything to do with it." I say.

"Carly…" He tells me.

"Thanks to you, I learned something as small as a cake is capable of spreading happiness around. To the patrons and me, you're important as a human being, not a royal." I say.

Sieg seems to be in shock and his coldness melts.

_~Sieg's POV~_

I can't believe I ever doubted her! Hans was right; she'd never betray me.

"Sorry for jumping to conclusions." I say, apologizing.

"No… I was the idiot who put the 'S' on the madeleines," She tells me. "You deserve credit; they _were_ your idea, secret or no secret."

"Didn't people ask you why you put an 'S'?" I ask her.

"It stood for 'Special'." She admits.

"Special Madeleines…?" I say. What a simplistic name!

I smile and turn away before laughing, "Hahaha! Special Madeleines…!"

"Not funny, Sieg…" She tells me.

"No, I thought it was kind of… simplistic, but that's _so_ you! Pfft." I laugh.

Carly merely shakes her head in annoyance.

I want to sweep her in my arms right now…

She and I lock eyes before smiling.

"Thanks, Carly…" I say to her.

"Sieg…" She says to me.

"You really are a cut above the rest…" I say to her, and then caress her cheek.

I want to spend forever with her.

"Can we… talk?" I ask her. "There's something I want to ask you…"

_~End of Sieg's POV~_

I'm relieved that Sieg and I are at an understanding, and I feel a lot better. When he asked me if we could chat, I knew it wasn't the right time.

"Can it wait? My shift isn't over." I say.

"Okay. I'll be waiting in the car." Sieg says to me.

"Sure… I should get back." I say.

"Yeah." Sieg says.

That's out of character; no impatience? Protesting? I feel where his hand was on my cheek, and I get back to work.

* * *

><p>Once all is said and done, I get in the car with Sieg and then Hans drives us to the lakeshore looking out over the castle. The castle itself makes a beautiful backdrop across the twilight sky.<p>

"Wow… This is quite the place." I say, in awe of the scene.

"Isn't it?" Sieg asks me. "All the castle residents know about it."

"It's new to me." I state.

"You like it?" He asks me.

"It's very calming. Hey, I could get some great inspiration for decorations for cake." I say, looking at the scene and getting out my sketchbook.

"I love coming here when I need thinking time." Sieg says, suddenly growing somber, and staring off into the sunset.

I guess he came here to cool off after that little misunderstanding started.

"What's the issue you want to vent about?" I inquire to him; I'm worried.

"Oh, that," Sieg says, and then gets started. "Remember you said I matter more as a person than a prince?"

"Yes, I do." I say with a nod.

"To be honest, that really made me happy. Because sometimes I feel that all people see is my title." Sieg tells me, blushing.

He _did_ say that during the concert.

"Doesn't that come with the birthright?" I inquire. "But why do you think that?"

"I…" Sieg says, but then sighs. "Recently, a man called Ulrich embedded himself at my father, The King's, side. The King… threw me aside in favor of consulting him."

"Ulrich…" I begin, running that name through.

"All of my father's decisions about the country now pass through this man," Sieg admits. "All he's left to me lately is carousing at galas and the like… I'm pretty much a cardboard stand-in for when they need a royal appearance."

Now I get it. This 'Ulrich' guy has managed to earn the King's trust to the point where he won't even trust his own son. That's pretty pathetic.

"I've been trained to the strictest of royal standards since I can remember. I'm here to support the King and take his place when the time comes… I feel discarded." Sieg admits.

"Sieg…" I say, putting my hand on his shoulder; it must be breaking his heart knowing his own father has lost faith in him somehow.

"I've heard the rumors of strange happenings in DresVan. It all started when Ulrich attached himself as aide to my father. What the hell is he thinking, relying on someone as shady as that…?" Sieg says.

He's gazing at the castle, but I can tell his mind is somewhere else, but in the situation he's in, I can't really blame him.

"I'm with you," I say in agreement. "He's your father; why wouldn't he have any faith in you? That makes about as much sense as chocolate chip cookies without any chocolate."

"I have no idea. The commemoration of the founding of DresVan is creeping up," Sieg began. "I expected an invitation, but…"

"Let me guess: you haven't gotten anything?" I say to him.

"No, I haven't…" Sieg says to me.

"What the heck?! That makes about as much sense as lemon cake without any lemons!" I say, ticked off. "You're invaluable to the DresVanese! The very fact that you're not invited to the commemoration ceremony is unthinkable!"

"What got _you_ in a tizzy?" Sieg asks me.

"I couldn't help it," I say, crossing my arms. "I just got quite upset."

"Actually, the day we first met, I had planned to rush back to my country. I received some information from a contact back in DresVan about a political upset. On the way to the airport, I got a call from my father that my presence wasn't needed. He told me to attend the party and that Ulrich was taking care of it," Sieg explained to me. "I was on my way back when I picked you up."

"That explains a few things." I say.

"Pfft…" Sieg chuckles, and I see his gloominess dissolves with a happy smile. "I can't help laughing when I remember you back then. Standing in front of the car covered in flour. You were pretty desperate!"

"Hey, can't you forget that even happened?" I inquire.

"Never! You're the first woman that ever left a lasting impression on me!" He says to me.

Okay, Sieg chose me as a marriage candidate for the fun of it and just to amuse himself. As if he'd take it seriously…

"When I'm with you, I'm distracted from my obligations." Sieg tells me.

"Hey, I'm a nuisance, is that it?!" I shout, getting a little upset.

Besides, he brought me here, anyway!

"Coming from me, that's a high compliment." Sieg tells me.

I blush and I give him a bit of a smile; I shouldn't have snapped.

"Really?" I inquire.

I see him smiling at me, but there's another emotion I can't read in his eyes.

* * *

><p><strong>That's a relief. Now I'm more aware of Sieg's own troubles. Then again, troubles are <strong>**around for royals no matter what. Next time, Sieg goes out of his way to help me in my time of need… If that's a good way of putting it… **


	6. Chapter 6

**Sieg vents to me his troubles and why he feels that people only see his title rather than himself. Now I understand a little more about him. But when I end up getting sick a while later, who ends up making a house call but Sieg himself?! Why is he even doing this for me? Songs included are "So This Is Love" from Disney's "Cinderella", and "Fallin' For You" by Colbie Caillat**

* * *

><p>"See? You're the cause of their smiles. Don't think that the fact you're a prince has anything to do with it." I say.<p>

"Carly…" He tells me.

"Thanks to you, I learned something as small as a cake is capable of spreading happiness around. To the patrons and me, you're important as a human being, not a royal." I say.

Sieg seems to be in shock and his coldness melts.

_~Sieg's POV~_

I can't believe I ever doubted her! Hans was right; she'd never betray me.

"Sorry for jumping to conclusions." I say, apologizing.

"No… I was the idiot who put the 'S' on the madeleines," She tells me. "You deserve credit; they _were_ your idea, secret or no secret."

"Didn't people ask you why you put an 'S'?" I ask her.

"It stood for 'Special'." She admits.

"Special Madeleines…?" I say. What a simplistic name!

I smile and turn away before laughing, "Hahaha! Special Madeleines…!"

"Not funny, Sieg…" She tells me.

"No, I thought it was kind of… simplistic, but that's _so_ you! Pfft." I laugh.

Carly merely shakes her head in annoyance.

I want to sweep her in my arms right now…

She and I lock eyes before smiling.

"Thanks, Carly…" I say to her.

"Sieg…" She says to me.

"You really are a cut above the rest…" I say to her, and then caress her cheek.

I want to spend forever with her.

"Can we… talk?" I ask her. "There's something I want to ask you…"

_~End of Sieg's POV~_

I'm relieved that Sieg and I are at an understanding, and I feel a lot better. When he asked me if we could chat, I knew it wasn't the right time.

"Can it wait? My shift isn't over." I say.

"Okay. I'll be waiting in the car." Sieg says to me.

"Sure… I should get back." I say.

"Yeah." Sieg says.

That's out of character; no impatience? Protesting? I feel where his hand was on my cheek, and I get back to work.

Once all is said and done, I get in the car with Sieg and then Hans drives us to the lakeshore looking out over the castle. The castle itself makes a beautiful backdrop across the twilight sky.

"Wow… This is quite the place." I say, in awe of the scene.

"Isn't it?" Sieg asks me. "All the castle residents know about it."

"It's new to me." I state.

"You like it?" He asks me.

"It's very calming. Hey, I could get some great inspiration for decorations for cake." I say, looking at the scene and getting out my sketchbook.

"I love coming here when I need thinking time." Sieg says, suddenly growing somber, and staring off into the sunset.

I guess he came here to cool off after that little misunderstanding started.

"What's the issue you want to vent about?" I inquire to him; I'm worried.

"Oh, that," Sieg says, and then gets started. "Remember you said I matter more as a person than a prince?"

"Yes, I do." I say with a nod.

"To be honest, that really made me happy. Because sometimes I feel that all people see is my title." Sieg tells me, blushing.

He _did_ say that during the concert.

"Doesn't that come with the birthright?" I inquire. "But why do you think that?"

"I…" Sieg says, but then sighs. "Recently, a man called Ulrich embedded himself at my father, The King's, side. The King… threw me aside in favor of consulting him."

"Ulrich…" I begin, running that name through.

"All of my father's decisions about the country now pass through this man," Sieg admits. "All he's left to me lately is carousing at galas and the like… I'm pretty much a cardboard stand-in for when they need a royal appearance."

Now I get it. This 'Ulrich' guy has managed to earn the King's trust to the point where he won't even trust his own son. That's pretty pathetic.

"I've been trained to the strictest of royal standards since I can remember. I'm here to support the King and take his place when the time comes… I feel discarded." Sieg admits.

"Sieg…" I say, putting my hand on his shoulder; it must be breaking his heart knowing his own father has lost faith in him somehow.

"I've heard the rumors of strange happenings in DresVan. It all started when Ulrich attached himself as aide to my father. What the hell is he thinking, relying on someone as shady as that…?" Sieg says.

He's gazing at the castle, but I can tell his mind is somewhere else, but in the situation he's in, I can't really blame him.

"I'm with you," I say in agreement. "He's your father; why wouldn't he have any faith in you? That makes about as much sense as chocolate chip cookies without any chocolate."

"I have no idea. The commemoration of the founding of DresVan is creeping up," Sieg began. "I expected an invitation, but…"

"Let me guess: you haven't gotten anything?" I say to him.

"No, I haven't…" Sieg says to me.

"What the heck?! That makes about as much sense as lemon cake without any lemons!" I say, ticked off. "You're invaluable to the DresVanese! The very fact that you're not invited to the commemoration ceremony is unthinkable!"

"What go _you_ in a tizzy?" Sieg asks me.

"I couldn't help it," I say, crossing my arms. "I just got quite upset."

"Actually, the day we first met, I had planned to rush back to my country. I received some information from a contact back in DresVan about a political upset. On the way to the airport, I got a call from my father that my presence wasn't needed. He told me to attend the party and that Ulrich was taking care of it," Sieg explained to me. "I was on my way back when I picked you up."

"That explains a few things." I say.

"Pfft…" Sieg chuckles, and I see his gloominess dissolves with a happy smile. "I can't help laughing when I remember you back then. Standing in front of the car covered in flour. You were pretty desperate!"

"Hey, can't you forget that even happened?" I inquire.

"Never! You're the first woman that ever left a lasting impression on me!" He says to me.

Okay, Sieg chose me as a marriage candidate for the fun of it and just to amuse himself. As if he'd take it seriously…

"When I'm with you, I'm distracted from my obligations." Sieg tells me.

"Hey, I'm a nuisance, is that it?!" I shout, getting a little upset.

Besides, he brought me here, anyway!

"Coming from me, that's a high compliment." Sieg tells me.

I blush and I give him a bit of a smile; I shouldn't have snapped.

"Really?" I inquire.

I see him smiling at me, but there's another emotion I can't read in his eyes.

* * *

><p>A few days after that misunderstanding was cleared up… Let's just say things aren't really what they should be.<p>

"*Ah-choo!*" I end up sneezing, and it wakes me up. What the heck…?

"I gotta a lesson with Sieg…" I say, before trying to get up. However, my body feels like it weighs more than twice what it should.

Crud… Must have a cold or I'm just overworked… I decide that to play it safe, I cancel the lesson.

I pull out my phone and call up Hans. I explain that I have a cold.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Hans asks me.

"I think a little R and R is what I need. Could you inform Sieg of this? And let him know that I'm very sorry about it?" I ask over the phone.

"Yes, anything." Hans replies, and then we hang up.

_~Sieg's POV~_

I'm working really hard to finish up my work before Carly comes for my lesson. It's such a nice stress reliever to have her around. What with all of the trouble in DresVan going on, it's nice to relax a bit.

Hans comes in and then I look up before asking him, "Hans, once I'm finished with work, all I have is Carly's lesson, right?"

"Sieg, about that…" Hans says, and judging from the tone, it's not good. "I just got a call from Carly. Apparently she's caught a cold and would like to cancel today's lesson."

What?!

"How is she?! Does she sound ill?" I ask, sick with worry.

"She sounds fine, but she's still sick in bed…" Hans said.

"Hans, prepare the car; I'm going to go and see if Carly's okay once everything is finished." I say.

"Understood." Hans said, before leaving the room.

_~End of Sieg's POV~_

I end up falling asleep and then a few hours later, my doorbell rings, waking me up.

Who in the name of Sir Isaac Newtown could it be at this hour? I go to the door, and I look through the peephole only to see Sieg standing there.

"S-Sieg?!" I say, quite surprised. "I can't have the lesson today, Sieg!"

For crying out loud, I'm still in my pajamas, and my hair is a rats' nest! What do I do?!

"What's this? You've got some nerve turning me away." Sieg says, from the other side of the door.

"I'm sick, Sieg!" I say, but I don't sound _that_ ill.

"Are you really that dainty? Let me in!" Sieg demands.

I slap myself on the face and then I open the door. Sieg then looks me over as he comes in.

"What's this? Hans said you were bed-ridden, but you look suspiciously well." Sieg tells me.

"Just feeling a bit icky." I explain, looking away.

"And yet you tried to ditch our lesson?" Sieg asks me.

"I wasn't feeling good enough to have the lesson! What would have happened if I'd gotten one of us sick?!" I say, in my defense, before sniffling.

"Then get back to bed." Sieg says.

He's the one who made me get up! This idiot…

Sieg leads me by the head back to my bed, and tucks me in.

"Why are you even here, Sieg?" I ask.

"As you can see, I came to make sue you're nourished." Sieg says, as he lifts up a paper bag that he had been carrying, to show it to me.

"I beg your pardon?" I ask.

I'm watching Sieg working in the kitchen while I'm still in bed.

He's pretty good-looking when he's cooking like that.

"Are you hungry?" He asks me.

"I have been sleeping all day, so yes." I say, with a nod.

"I see illness has no effect on your appetite. How very much like you." Sieg says to me.

"Taking that as a compliment." I say.

"I swear you were packing it away like a hamster at the last party." Sieg says to me with a laugh.

"Hamster?" I inquire, before coughing.

"There, it's done." Sieg says to me, as he finishes cooking.

"That was fast." I say to him.

"I'm a pretty good cook, you know." He says.

"Scrambled eggs? Looks good…" I say, as I see what's in the bowl he has in his hand.

However, he pulls a chair over to the bed.

"What? What are you doing?" I ask him, a bit surprised.

"Open up." He tells me.

He takes a spoonful of the eggs, blows on it, and he holds it towards my mouth.

"What?! I can feed myself!" I say, trying to hide whatever embarrassment I'm feeling.

I don't know why I'm acting like this, anyway…

"Patients should listen to their caretakers!" Sieg says of me.

"Ugh…" I say, before giving up.

"Come on." He tells me.

I roll my eyes before opening my mouth. I'm really not feeling too hot; the fact that I'm getting spoon-fed by a prince is a little unnerving.

As the spoon enters my mouth, I chew a bit and it tastes great.

"Really good…" I say, as I swallow.

"Of course it is." Sieg says to me, a bit conceitedly.

"The food you make is really nostalgic in taste. Was this something your grandmother taught you to make, as well?" I inquire.

"Yeah, she did. She used to make it for me when I was ill," Sieg tells me. "I always felt much better after eating it."

"I think I know what you mean," I say. "When you eat food that's been made with love, it just warms you up form the inside out."

"Lo-?!" Sieg begins, but then he flinches a bit.

"What's the problem?" I ask; I've never seen Sieg act like this before.

"N-Nothing," He says. "I'm gonna clean up. You eat the rest yourself."

"Okay…" I say.

He shoves the bowl at me before dashing back into the kitchen. What burned his biscuits?

Talk about odd…

_~Sieg's POV~_

Sheesh, that was close… I certainly didn't expect her to pick up on my feelings quite yet.

Right from the get-go, I've been in love. But I'm no fairytale prince where he proposes to the heroine right off the bat just from meeting her for the first time.

_"I'm certain, and I know I've truly fallen for you, dropping so quickly," _I sing, before looking towards the bedroom where Carly is still eating. _"Maybe I should keep this to myself, waiting 'till I know you better."_

I blush a bit before turning away and going back to my song.

_"I am trying not to tell you, but I want to. I'm scared of what you'll say," _I sing, imagining her pushing me once I tell her those three little words. _"So I'm hiding what I'm feeling, but I'm tired of holding this inside my head."_

I sigh before remembering that after that first meeting Carly and I had, I've been acting on my feelings for her and getting to know her.

_"I've been spending all my time, just thinking about you." _I admit in song; when I was at the marriage interview, I completely put my foot in my mouth.

_"I don't know what to do. I think I'm fallin' for you." _I sing, as I remember how my heart pounded during the first dance we shared.

_"I've been waiting all my life and now I found you."_ I sing, remembering the first time I met her. The day I met her and fell in love with her.

_"I don't know what to do. I think I've fallen for you. I've fallen for you."_ I sing.

_"As I'm standing here and I hold your hand," _I sing, remembering the first dance we shared together._ "Pull you towards me, and we start to dance."_

_"All around us, I see nobody. Here in silence, it's just you and me." _I sing, remembering how I was able to ignore everyone in the room when I first danced with Carly.

_"I'm trying not to tell you, but I want to. I'm scared of what you'll say, so I'm hiding what I'm feeling." _I sing, as I look over to Carly; I wanted to tell her how I felt for so long that I can't seem to hold it back much longer. But if I say it aloud, it could complicate things.

_"But I'm tired of holding this inside my head." _I sing, feeling my heart throbbing once again.

_"I've been spending all my time just thinking about you, I don't know what to do_

_I think I've fallen for you." _I sing, remembering the first time I met her.

_"I've been waiting all my life and now I found you," _I sing_, _remembering that when I was a lot younger, my grandparents told me their own love stories and I've then dreamed of someday finding love like that, too, and now I've found it in Carly. _"I don't know what to do. I think I've fallen for you. I've fallen for you."_

_"Oh, I just can't take it. My heart is racing. Emotions keep spinning out." _I sing, as I remember all the times I put my foot in my mouth or did something rude to her. Acting on emotion isn't always the best thing.

_"I've been spending all my time, just thinking about you. I don't know what to do. I think I've fallen for you." _I sing; I have totally fallen head-over-heels for her right from the get-go.

_"I've been waiting all my life and now I found you, I don't know what to do I think I've fallen for you. I've fallen for you." _I sing, looking back at Carly, still eating. I look down with a sigh.

_"I think I've fallen for you."_ I sing, blushing.

_"I can't stop thinking about it. I want you all around me, and now I just can't hide it. I know I've fallen for you." _I sing, as I fantasize about the two of us dancing together in a romantic setting for the rest of our lives.

_"I can't stop thinking about it, I want you all around me, and now I just can't hide it! I know I've fallen for you. I've fallen for you."_ I sing, as I secretly have collected mementos of our time together, but I know someday it will be forever.

_"Oh. Oh, no, no. Oh… Oh, I've fallen for you." _I sing, feeling relieved to know I vented my emotions.

I get back to cleaning, feeling my face heat up.

_~End of Sieg's POV~_

Once I finish eating, I go into the kitchen and say, "Thanks for the eggs."

"You done eating already?" Sieg asks.

"Yes, thanks. I'll clean everything else up." I say.

"It's fine, you stay in bed. Cleaning up is part of cooking." Sieg says to me.

"Okay, yes, you're right, but…" I say, but then Sieg snatches the bowl before washing it at warp speed. "Alrighty, then… I'll leave you to it."

I head back to bed, but then…

"Hey." Sieg says, before I turn around, and he reaches towards my mouth.

I'm surprised; this came out of nowhere, so I can't move.

"There's something on your lip." Sieg says, as he squints a bit, and then wipes something off my face with his finger.

"Geez, you're like a little kid." Sieg says to me.

"T-Thanks…" I say, blushing a bit.

As we go back to my bedroom, I'm a little nervous.

"Well, you're fed and watered," Sieg says to me. "Now you need bed rest."

"Yes, chief…" I say, before rolling into bed, about to nod off.

Sieg sits down on the chair and folds his arms.

"Are you staying here?" I ask.

"That a problem?" He asks me.

"How can I sleep when you're watching? It's making me nervous." I admit.

"You're thinking too hard." Sieg says.

I don't answer to start, and then I close my eyes. Sure, that's what he says, but it's not that easy. How can I help it? I try to sleep, but my anxiety is getting to me.

I meet Sieg's gaze as I open my eyes.

"You're hopeless." He says, chuckling, before stroking my hair back.

I wish I knew why, but my heart's beating wildly. At the same time, I feel safe and happy. Why is my body reacting this way?!

"Why are you doing this, Sieg? Why are you going out of your way for me?" I ask him, not sure what's going on. "I'm no one special; just a pastry chef. Why are you even thinking of being friends with someone of a lower class?"

"I…" Sieg begins, but then he changes the channel again. "I thought I told you not to think too hard. Now get to sleep."

"Fine…" I say. "Night."

"Yeah, goodnight." Sieg says to me.

I don't know what my heart is bursting with, but it bursts as I go to sleep.

_~Sieg's POV~_

I see Carly sleeping peacefully in her bed. I know that she's asleep and I soon feel at ease enough to admit how I really feel.

"Carly… I love you…" I admit, as I gently stroke her cheek.

That's how I've felt since day one. Obviously, she doesn't answer back, but I feel really relieved in knowing that I've finally said my feelings out loud.

_"Mmmmmm… Mmmmmm… So this is love…" _I sing, feeling my heart flutter. _"Mmmmmm… So this is love… So this is what makes life divine. I'm all aglow, mmmmmm… And now I know… And now I know…"_

I look up and my heart is aflutter.

_"The key to all heaven is mine… My heart has wings, mmmmmm, and I can fly…" _I sing, as my heart pounds out of my chest and wings grow.

_"I'll touch every star in the sky…"_ I sing, as a speck of light falls into my open hand. _"So this is the miracle that I've been dreaming of."_

_"Mmmmmm… Mmmmmm… So this is love…" _I sing, as I am very tempted to kiss her on the cheek, but that could risk waking her up.

I feel so happy and comfortable that I end up falling asleep.

_~End of Sieg's POV~_

A stream of sunlight is coming through a crack in the curtains. In response, my eyes open up; it's nearly impossible for someone to sleep when there's sunlight.

I give a quiet yawn before blinking a little bit.

"Phew… What a good sleep." I say, before breathing a sigh in relief.

However, I feel that there's something on my feet, and it's heavy. I sit up, and then I see that Prince Sieg is flopped across my legs, and he's still sleeping.

I'm surprised that he stayed overnight. Being the busy guy he is, I'm sure Hans would have dragged him back to the castle for his duties. Why did he stay by my side the whole time?

I don't know why, but my mouth leaks out, "Seeing his sleeping face… It's so cute."

I see his elegant nose and his eyelashes are so long.

However, I shake my head and slap myself in the face before saying, "No! This isn't proper for a royal! But now I need to figure out a way to thank him…"

I'm feeling so much better, so I decide to make some breakfast. I slowly get out of bed; can't wake him up, after all.

"Now… What to make… Bingo!" I say, before snapping my fingers.

I'm working in the kitchen, when…

"What are you making?" Sieg asks, from behind me.

"Oh, morning, Sieg." I say, smiling.

"Mornin'…" Sieg tells me.

He's wobbling around, all groggy… And this is so weird, but it's attractive. I don't know what's going on with me?!

"You feeling better?" Sieg asks me.

"I sure am; I'm completely better! Thank you so much for this!" I say, with a big smile. "But, um, I'm sorry that I had to make you sleep like that."

"It's been a while since I've slept like that. I actually slept pretty well. Thanks!" Sieg says to me.

"Er… Sorry…?" I inquire.

I can't tell whether Sieg means it or not.

"And I got to hear you talking in your sleep." Sieg says.

"What?! Me? Sleep talking?!" I say, my face getting quite hot.

"I heard everything." Sieg says, with a smirk.

Oh, no… No way…! Gah! I can't believe this!

"What did I say…?" I ask.

"You were calling my name." Sieg says, still smirking.

EH?! Why?! Why would his name be the thing out of my mouth at night?!

"EH?!" I shout, feeling a bit scared.

"Pfft, hahaha!" Sieg laughs, as if he's being funny. "Just kidding."

"You…! You're messing with me again?!" I shout, pretty upset.

"So, are you making breakfast?" Sieg asks me.

I sigh, glad that he changed the subject, and then say, "Yes. I wanted to thank you for yesterday…"

"Rice balls?" He says, noticing what I did.

"Remember the boat party? I thought that it would be a good idea for me to make them for you, but as you can see…" I say, before glancing at the rice balls. "I can't get them in the right shape."

"Heh." He lets out a snort, laughing, as he looks at my handiwork; he takes my hand into his.

"You're the queen of pastries, and yet you can't mold a rice ball. Maybe your hands are too small?" He says, as he holds my hands in his and gently strokes my fingers.

It's almost as if my hands are so precious, more valuable than real gold.

"Um… Sieg…?" I say, with a tone that asked him if the lights were on in the attic.

I'm wondering whether or not he's just teasing me, like earlier, but I'm feeling the warmth he has spreading through my fingertips, and why is it that my heart is going faster?!

"Sieg? Are the lights on?!" I say, a little louder.

"Oh, uh, sorry." He says, before letting go of my hands in a flash.

"It's fine…" I say.

"I guess I'll have to show you how to do it." Sieg says.

"Okay." I say with a nod.

After a while, it seems like time has gotten away from us. We've made a lot of rice balls, and Sieg has stayed at my side the whole time.

Out of nowhere, the doorbell rang, and then our attention is focused on this.

"Someone's here." Sieg says.

"Who'd be coming this early in the morning?" I ask.

Sieg and I clean up and then open the door, and Hans is standing before us.

"Good morning, Sieg, Miss Carly." Hans says to us. "I'm sorry to intrude."

"Good morning, Hans." I say, with a smile.

It's relieving to know that the one coming over this early in the morning is only Hans. It would have caused a commotion like a snake in a chicken coop if it had been anyone else.

"I'm here to pick up Sieg." Hans says.

"Is it that time already…?" Sieg asks, checking his watch. "Well, thanks for everything."

"That's my line; I really appreciate you looking after me." I say to him.

"Don't worry about it. You were sick." Sieg says to me.

Sieg hurries off with Hans, but then something occurs to me.

"The rice balls!" I say, snapping my fingers. I snag the basket of rice balls and then I make a dash for the door outside.

"Hold up!" I say, calling out to Prince Sieg; he's about to get into the car.

"What is it?" Sieg asks me.

"Your rice balls. I wrapped them for you, so take them with." I say, handing him the basket.

"Uh…" Sieg says.

"I _did_ make them for you." I say.

"O-Okay." Sieg says to me, blushing for a second. "If you're so desperate for me to try them, I'll take them. You should be grateful that I'm deigning to eat them."

He takes the basket carefully, and then he says to me, "I'll let you know what I think of them later."

"I can't wait." I say.

I don't know, but I feel my chest get warm as I'm watching the car drive away. However, I get this pit in my stomach for some reason. I don't know why, but I feel like someone was watching us…

A few days later, I walk into the bakery's kitchen, feeling peppy and cheerful, but...

"Morning!" I say, happily.

Everyone then focuses their gaze on me, as if I did something wrong. I'm not sure why, but I have the same pit in my stomach from a few days ago.

"What's going on? Is there something on my face or what?" I inquire.

"Carly, you are so awesome!" One of my coworkers says. "But I can't believe you kept it from us!"

"What do you mean…?" I inquire. I have a bad feeling about this…

"Carly… this is you, right…?" Yosef asks, anxious. He holds out a gossip magazine to me.

There, on the front page…

"Prince caught the morning after! Spent the night with a Nobel Michel pastry chef?!"

"Eh?!" I shout.

The front page has pictures from when I saw Prince Sieg leave my house! Not only that, but while my face was turned away, if someone knows me, they'd recognize me.

* * *

><p><strong>Oh, snap, how did this happen?! Now I'm in a bind… I can't get into my own apartment, and now I'm stuck at the castle while everyone at the bakery is having a hard time. What am I going to do?!<strong>


	7. Chapter 7

**Somehow or other, Sieg's visit gets caught by some paparazzi and I'm caught up in the middle of it! I don't know how I'm going to go about things normally with this happening, and now the store is suffering, too! But what can I do?!**

* * *

><p>I don't know, but I feel my chest get warm as I'm watching the car drive away. However, I get this pit in my stomach for some reason. I don't know why, but I feel like someone was watching us…<p>

A few days later, I walk into the bakery's kitchen, feeling peppy and cheerful, but...

"Morning!" I say, happily.

Everyone then focuses their gaze on me, as if I did something wrong. I'm not sure why, but I have the same pit in my stomach from a few days ago.

"What's going on? Is there something on my face or what?" I inquire.

"Carly, you are so awesome!" One of my coworkers says. "But I can't believe you kept it from us!"

"What do you mean…?" I inquire. I have a bad feeling about this…

"Carly… this is you, right…?" Yosef asks, anxious. He holds out a gossip magazine to me.

There, on the front page…

"Prince caught the morning after! Spent the night with a Nobel Michel pastry chef?!"

"Eh?!" I shout.

The front page has pictures from when I saw Prince Sieg leave my house! Not only that, but while my face was turned away, but if someone knows me, they'd recognize me.

"W-W-What?! This isn't right? Sieg…" I begin, but…

"You're on a first name basis?" Another pastry chef tells me.

Oops, slipped…

"It says you lovingly prepared a packed lunch for him…" A second pastry chef tells me.

"Is it true that he stayed the night?" A third coworker of mine asked.

The questions are being fired at me left and right, and I can't keep up. How can I respond to all of the questions at once?

I'm sure Sieg already knows about this, but what can I do?!

"Hey, this is where Prince Sieg new flame works, right?" "I just want a quick interview." "Is she there?" "I'm a huge fan of Prince Sieg's, could I get an autograph?"

Once the store opens, reporters and fans are mobbing us like nuts!

"If you're not a customer, please wait outside the store!" One of my coworkers says.

Seeing this, I'm dumbfounded. This whole mess traces back to me! I can't even think that it's anyone else's fault.

"Carly, maybe you should lay low for a while." Yosef tells me.

"Thanks, Yosef… I'm _so_ sorry about this." I say, feeling guilty.

"It's fine. This is good publicity for the store, hahaha!" Yosef says.

Sieg hates being taken advantage of like that. I know that Yosef is laughing it off, but I can tell that sooner or later, this is going to become a problem.

"You go on and slip out the back door." Yosef says.

"Thanks." I say, before making a beeline for the back door.

However, when I get to my apartment, I see that the door is swarming with tons of media people from all kinds of stupid tabloid magazines and the like.

"Really?! I can't get into my own house! I guess I'd better kill time elsewhere." I say, before slipping away before anyone can see me.

As I'm walking through town, keeping my head down, I'm berating myself for this whole circus that I've created. Why wasn't I thinking that this might happen?!

This was a result of carelessness! Now I'm realizing how grave the situation is.

"Miss Carly…" I hear someone say my name. Crud, busted!

I turn around and see a man with a camera and he looks rather effeminate. Not my type. Not to mention at least older than me by a decade.

"And you are…?" I inquire.

"Me? Why, I'm Jake," He says; a paparazzi, I can tell. It's the camera he's holding. "Oh darling, yesterday you were a mere pastry chef, but today you're a celebrity. And it's all thanks to me."

That's when it clicks in my head.

"You're the cockroach that took the photos!" I say, getting a little angry.

"I little birdy told me that Prince Sieg fell for a regular girl. He pranced you around quite a few parties, didn't he?" Jake tells me.

"How…" I begin, but then I realize that in his sentence, someone must have informed him of this, but I'm too upset to think about whom would do this.

"You two got careless, and that got me my picture." Jake tells me.

I can't believe this, but this rodent is right; Sieg is the Prince of a kingdom, yet I'm the one who has no position to be near him.

"Tell me how this steamy plot got started!" Jake asks me, a creepy smile on his face; he's coming closer to me.

"Stay back! I'm leaving!" I say, and then I lift my leg, turn the joint at the knee a bit, and then slam my foot in Jake's stomach.

I then make a dash to get to safety. I soon start running faster than Penelope Pussycat trying to get away from Pepe Le Pew. Albeit in this case, the skunk in this scene isn't the prince, but the reporter.

I run as fast as I can go and then I soon find a back alley. I sprint into the back alley to hide, and I'm catching my breath.

I think I should be safe for the time being. I decide to hang out and catch my breath. My chest is heaving.

A shadow falls across the alley's entrance and I respond by holding my breath. I hope that he can't see me. As long as he can't hear me, I think I'll be fine.

However, the silhouette is drawing closer and I'm afraid. Has he seen me?!

"Miss Carly!" Someone shouts.

I know that voice… I look up and I see that the man looking down the alley is Hans.

"Oh, Hans… Phew… What a relief." I say, breathing heavily.

"I saw that reporter following you. Are you hurt?" Hans asks me.

"I'm fine, but I'm trying to catch my breath." I say.

"I'm so sorry you're involved in this scandal." Hans says to me.

"You're not the one at fault," I say. "I shouldn't have come out to give him the rice balls."

"No, I'm the one who's supposed to keep an eye on the surroundings when Sieg goes out. This time I didn't spot him… I arranged to take you to a place where we can guarantee your safety. Would you come with me?" Hans says.

"No need to ask me twice." I say with a smile.

* * *

><p>We arrive at Nobel Michel Castle, and Zain III greets me.<p>

"Are you sure this is okay for me to stay here?" I inquire.

"Miss Carly, we are delighted to welcome any friend of our esteemed guests into this castle." Zain says to me.

He leads me into the heart of the castle and as we're walking, I hear someone shout out to me.

"Oh, Carly!" Prince Oliver says, as he smiles. "You're here!"

"Getting into my own house was impossible. They're letting me stay here." I say, a little nervous.

"The security here is top-level stuff." Prince Aslan says.

"In my country, we stamp out the gossip-mongers and trash-talkers." Prince Ivan tells me.

"Well, here they have freedom of the press, unlike in Sanct Sybil." Kuon says to Ivan.

"That sounded like an insult." Ivan says, with a smirk.

"I'm just speaking the truth." Kuon says.

"Now now, you two," Oliver says, placating his friends. "I'm glad you got here safely, Carly. So, what's the deal with Sieg?"

Soon, all the princes turn their gazes on me.

"That report in the magazine wasn't… Sieg only came to visit me because I was sick. He stayed with me until I fell asleep; plain and simple." I say with conviction.

"Well, if you say so. I guess it must be true." Prince Hayden says.

Nice to see he trusts me.

"Whaaat, I thought you two had finally…!" Oliver says, but I get a little annoyed at what he's implying.

"At any rate, it's unthinkable for a prince to be seen coming out of a citizen's house." Ivan says to me; I guess he has a point.

"At least it shows how concerned he was about you, Carly." Oliver says.

"Speaking of whom, where is Sieg, anyway?" I ask.

I want to be able to apologize as soon as I can. I haven't been able to see him yet.

"He's in a meeting about this incident." Ivan says.

"Oh…" I say, sadly.

"Geez, Ivan…" Oliver says.

"It's not something to worry about; they're just talking about how to deal with it." Hayden explains to me.

"You must be tired. Take it easy today." Aslan says.

"Okay, thanks." I say.

"I'll show you to your room." Zain III says, and then he brings me into a very luxuriously decorated room.

However, I'm more worried about Sieg. I hope he's okay. I hope he isn't being scolded due to me.

I sit on the edge of the bed and let out a sigh; I feel really awful about this.

I decide to call Yosef and check on him and the store.

"Yosef?" I say, over my phone.

"Carly, is everything okay?" Yosef asks me.

"Yes. I couldn't go home, so they're letting me stay at the castle for a bit. " I say.

"Really? That's good." Yosef says.

"More importantly, how are things going at the store?" I ask, changing the subject.

"We're still swamped with people over here." Yosef tells me.

"I'm so sorry about all the trouble that I ended up causing." I say.

"No, no! You just rest at the castle and don't worry about the store," Yosef tells me. "I'll call you again when this blows over."

"Okay… Thanks." I say, then hang up.

My heart's aching at Yosef's words. I know he's probably in trouble, but he's brushed it off. I, on the other hand, am being a bit of a coward, hiding here at the castle. On the other hand, I'd only be making things worse if I went back there.

I sigh heavily.

"Carly." Prince Aslan says, as he appears out of nowhere.

"Oh, Aslan." I say.

I see that Aslan is smiling at me and he tells me, "I'm about to have some tea. Would you like to join me? It's a special herbal tea!"

I'm not in the mood for it, but I think it might be just the thing.

"Thank you." I say with a smile.

I follow Aslan out into the gardens and then I find a beautifully decorated tea set laid out on the table.

"Go ahead and take a seat." Aslan says to me.

"Thank you." I say, and take a seat.

"I brought dessert, as requested, Aslan." A little boy says, as he brings a dessert platter.

He looks so young and he's actually kinda cute.

"Thanks, Lavi." Aslan says.

"Lavi…?" I ask.

"This is my butler, Lavi. Lavi, this is Carly." Aslan says, making the introductions.

"Nice to meet you." I say to Lavi.

"It's a pleasure to meet you too, Miss Carly!" Lavi says.

He's definitely cute; also quite small for a butler. His innocent smile is making me feel a lot better.

"Lavi, this girl is a very important guest of Prince Sieg's." Aslan says.

"Oh, is that so!" Lavi says, before addressing me. "Miss Carly, if you need anything, please don't hesitate to ask me."

"Thank you." I say.

The sweet herbal smell of the tea fills my nose and I feel a little relaxed.

"The scent of chamomile is an aid in relaxation. I thought it'd be just the thing." Aslan says.

"Huh?" I inquire; how'd he know?

"You were sighing after you got off the phone." Aslan says.

"You saw that? I'm worried about the trouble I've caused for my store." I say.

"The store? Oh, right, you work as a pastry chef." Aslan says to me.

"I'm still in training, though." I say. Honesty gets you a lot of places in life.

"What kinds of sweets are popular right now?" Aslan asks me.

"What's trending, huh?" I say. Bringing up the Special Madeleines is probably not the most appropriate thing right now. "Macarons are always popular."

"Hm, macarons. What are they made from?" Aslan inquires.

"Egg whites, almond flour, and powdered sugar. Sounds simple, right?" I say, putting on a bit of wit.

"Ooh, I never knew that." Aslan says; he seems interested.

We're soon conversing casually, but soon, Aslan's gaze goes over my shoulder. What's gotten into him?

_~Sieg's POV~_

I'm walking around, trying to figure out where Carly had gone to; Hans informed me that she was here, but I could not figure out where she is.

I soon see Carly in the gardens, and she's happily chatting away with Prince Aslan! This angers me for some reason, but then I soon realize why: I'm jealous that she's being so cheerful with him.

I'm also quite angry with Aslan stealing away my princess! Carly is just so unaware that she's got so much charm to her that it drew in the other princes, not just me. I decide to go over there and get Carly back.

_~End of Sieg's POV~_

"Oh, here he is." Aslan says.

"Carly!" I hear someone shout, and I know who it is.

I look around, and I see that it's Prince Sieg walking towards us.

"Sieg!" I say. I'm so relieved; I can finally see him.

"Could I borrow her for a moment?" Sieg asks, a little irritably.

"Sure, go ahead." Aslan says.

Prince Sieg, a scowl on his face, grabs hold of my arm and he starts to pull me forcefully.

"Come on." Sieg says.

"H-Hey!" I shout, feeling a little nervous.

We got into a room in another part of the castle, and Sieg angrily slams the door, before turning a glare on me.

Seeing this, I back off a bit in fear.

"What the hell are you doing?" Sieg asks me, a little angry.

"I beg your pardon?" I ask, a little scared.

"Casually having tea with Aslan! Have you forgotten your place?" Sieg inquires to me.

I decide not to argue because I know not to argue with him when he's upset.

"I'm sorry…" I say, looking away.

"Geez, I can't take my eyes off you," Sieg says. "I brought you to this castle to keep you by my side…"

He then stops, and I decide to speak.

"Sieg?" I ask.

"Quit being so cordial with the other princes!" Sieg says.

"Excuse me? It's rude to treat them like they're invisible!" I say.

"What, you got a problem with that? You're here thanks to me." Sieg says.

"I know that." I say.

Sieg gives me a satisfied smirk.

"All that aside, how did everything go? You had that meeting, after all." I say.

"Yeah, it's fine," Sieg says to me. "We were just working out our response to the media."

I'm about to start crying and then I say, "This whole mess is my doing; I can't apologize enough…"

"The real cause is that I paid you a visit," Sieg says. "I should be the one apologizing."

He bows his head to me, but I'm floored at this.

"Don't bother." I say.

I'm shocked that he's apologizing like this.

"Hans said he found you being chased by a reporter." Sieg says to me.

"It was the same reporter who took the photo; the cockroach was following me." I say, shuddering.

I remember that Jake told me that we had become too careless. I can't be fraternizing with Prince Sieg. What am I doing?! Bad enough I've caused trouble for Yosef, but now I've made Sieg feel like he's in a position where he has to apologize.

"Sieg… I promise not to cause this trouble again," I say, and I start to break it to him. I can't see him anymore. But why is it that it hurts so much? "I had fun with the lessons. I really loved them and accompanying you was the best thing in the world, but…"

"Are you saying we should stop?" Sieg asks me.

"Right." I say, nodding.

"Which means that we shouldn't see each other again." Sieg says to me.

"Exactly." I say; I'm about to cry, but why?!

It's silent between us for a few seconds, but then Sieg speaks, breaking the silence.

"You're right." He says.

It's nice to see Sieg understand, but this breaks my heart.

As I'm thinking about how sad this is, I hear Sieg speak up again.

"But that doesn't mean I'll give in." Sieg says, and this catches me by surprise.

"Excuse me?" I say, quite surprised.

"Why should some tawdry rag dictate what we do?" Sieg says, and then he takes my hand; he brings it to his lips as though to kiss it.

I think my face just turned into a volcano; I feel my face heating up.

"I will protect you," Sieg says to me. "All you need to do is trust me."

"Sieg…" I begin; I'm a bit skeptical about this.

A boy's vow to protect someone is a cliché, but my heart is still pounding.

I look down in embarrassment; my face is burning.

He lets go of my hand and pats me on the head, before saying, "Anyways, if anything happens, you tell me."

"Thanks." I say.

He gives me a gentle smile before beginning to leave the room.

"Oh, I almost forgot." Sieg says.

"What?" I inquire.

"My thoughts on the rice balls you made." Sieg says to me, turning around.

"You really ate them? What did you think?" I ask.

"Maybe it's because you didn't compress them enough, but the shape wasn't so god and they fell apart as I was eating them." Sieg admits.

I slap myself in the face and say, "Ugh…"

"But they tasted good." Sieg says.

I scoff a bit; some people are better bakers than they are chefs and vice-versa.

"You're more suited to baking," Sieg says to me. "While you're here, you can make the desserts for the meals."

Hearing this, I feel a lot better.

"Really?" I ask, relieved.

"That's all you can really do while you're here." Sieg says to me.

He makes a point.

"Well, I'll leave it to you." Sieg says.

I can tell he's trying to make sure I'm not going to get bored, but he's being so brusque about it. As I watch his retreating back, I feel warmth flow through me.

* * *

><p>The next day, I'm thinking about what I should make for dessert for the night. Baking always makes my spirits soar in joy as I think about it. I feel really ecstatic about the baking.<p>

"I know; I'll ask the head pastry chef what everyone's favorites are!" I say, before making a beeline for the kitchen.

"Hello? Is the head pastry chef in?" I ask, as I enter the kitchen.

Everyone had finished clean up and they are watching TV.

One of the chefs tells me, "He just went out to do the shopping."

"I'll come back later in that case." I say, but as I'm about to leave, I notice the narration coming from the TV.

"This is where the girl seen with Prince Sieg yesterday works…" Hearing that, I look to the screen on instinct.

Sure enough, Patisserie Brown is on the screen.

"As you can see, it's not currently open. There's a sign on the door saying that it'll be closed for the next few days…" The anchorman says.

"What the…?! What's happening?!" I shout. This whole thing is because of me…

That tears it! I need to get back to Patisserie Brown.

I drop everything and run through the corridors of the castle. I try to make a beeline for my bedroom to get my bags.

"Hey, Carly, no running in the castle corridors." Sieg says to me.

"Sieg…" I say, tears about to fall.

"What's going on? You look even more frazzled than usual." Sieg tells me.

"Well…" I begin, not sure how to speak. I'm lost for words because of the shop closing. Lucky for me, Sieg catches on.

"Did something happen? Tell me." Sieg says.

"Sieg, I'm going back to the store." I say.

"Huh? What are you saying? Things just started to calm down." Sieg tells me.

"The news said the store closed!" I state.

"So?" Sieg inquires.

"I gotta go back." I say, before turning around in an attempt to head back to my room.

"Wait!" Sieg says, but then he grabs my arm. "It's not like you going back there will solve anything, will it? It might cause even more problems."

"I can't be a coward when everyone is getting the brunt of it! I'm going." I say, before turning away.

"And what if I say I won't let you?" Sieg asks me.

"Sieg…" I say, in shock. I never thought he'd say something like that. "I'm so sorry… You've been kind enough to hide me in the castle, but I can't stay here like this…"

"I see…" Sieg says. "That's just like you."

He turns his face away in resignation, grumbling.

"Hans will take you to the store." Sieg says.

"Thank you…" I say.

I get in the car with Hans, and I'm a little down. I decide to speak up.

"Hans, is Sieg upset with me?" I ask, feeling really down.

Why am I even acting like this? Sieg and I may have to part ways in the future, so why is it bothering me so much that I made Sieg upset.

"I think he's worried, rather than angry. It's easier for him to protect you if you're close by." Hans explains.

"Are you sure?" I ask, a bit skeptical. "But I'm being selfish here. I'm really sorry. And you've certainly done a lot for me, as well, Hans."

"Don't worry, I think Sieg understands where you're coming from," Hans says. "And of course, I do too."

I see Hans smile from the rearview mirror, and this is something that I feel makes me feel a lot better.

"By the way, could you open that paper bag I brought?" Hans asks.

I nod and then I open the bag, before saying, "A hat and sunglasses? Oh, a disguise so I don't get spotted."

"Exactly." Hans says.

"Thanks, Hans… You really did this for me…?" I asked.

"Miss Carly… Please take care of yourself." Hans says.

"Thank you very much," I say, about to get out of the car. "And give my thanks to Zain and the other princes, too."

Once I get out of the car, I run to the back of the bakery and get into the kitchens through the back door. I see Yosef alone, on the phone.

"I'd really appreciate it if you could… yes… I see." Yosef says, before hanging up the phone, and then his shoulders are slumped.

"Yosef, what's going on?" I ask.

"Carly! You're back?!" Yosef says, quite surprised.

"I saw on the TV that the store is closed; I couldn't just hang out at the castle like a coward." I say.

"I see… so you saw it on the news." Yosef said.

"What was the phone call about just now?" I asked, changing the subject.

"Our supplier cut us off; they won't ship to us anymore." Yosef says to me.

"_WHAT?!_ You mean to tell me that they're doing this due to that stupid tabloid?!" I ask, quite upset.

"I find it hard to believe it's because of that," Yosef says to me. "We've had a long relationship with them…"

He makes a good point: a gossip scandal like this wouldn't be the main thing to cause a supplier to do this to us. I don't get it, but in the back of my mind, I feel like something – or rather, someone – is behind this.

"They're probably getting pressured into doing this by someone… But who?" I ask, but I get the feeling that I may know the answer, but it isn't at the front of my mind right now.

"I have no idea. What would someone gain from that?" Yosef asked.

He makes another good point.

"Oh, Carly's back!" I hear one of my coworkers say, and then I see the other staff coming in.

"Everyone, I'm _so_ sorry about all of this trouble!" I say, feeling more rotten than an egg that had been in the fridge too long.

"Seriously, don't worry about it." One of the other employees says to me.

One of my coworkers says, "Right, it's that worthless clod of a reporter who's to blame."

"I think 'cockroach' is more appropriate." I say with a scoff.

"So did any of you manage to find a new supplier?" Yosef asked, changing the subject.

"We got turned down everywhere because we need a fast turnaround…" Another of my coworkers says.

"I see… I made a few phone calls, too, but…" Yosef says.

"I'll go and try to convince them one more time." I volunteer.

"You really shouldn't be in the public eye right now…" Yosef says.

"I wouldn't bee too worried; there's only a few reporters who actually know my face, and I have my disguise with me, too. I want to try; please!" I say.

This is the only way I can help right now; I have to try.

"Okay, I'll leave it to you. Guys, we can get through this if we all work together." Yosef says.

"YEAH!" We all say in unison.

I still feel guilty about this, but I gotta try.

Later, in town…

"Please? Even a small amount would be good!" I say, begging a shopkeeper for help.

"I hear what you're saying, but… I can't," The owner of the supply store says, frowning at me. "I'm sorry, I know we've worked with you for a long time, but… under these circumstances…"

"Are you really convinced about what they wrote about Prince Sieg?" I inquire, crossing my arms. "Please…!"

"My hands are tied. They said…" The shopkeeper asked.

"Excuse me? What do you mean 'they'?" I inquire. "So someone _did_ tell you not to sell to us?"

"N-No… Anyway, I can't sell to you no matter how much you beg. Sorry." The shopkeeper says before shutting the door.

"Ugh…" I say, and then I go and try again with another store.

After about five or ten stores, I give up. It was the same for all of them. I decide to head back to the store and as I'm walking, I glance at my reflection in a shop window.

"What the…?" I say, but then I see that a large man is tailing me.

From the looks of it, he's not a reporter, but just to be safe, I pick up the pace and dash back to the store. Once I get there, I turn to face the man, but he's gone.

He may have seem like he was set on following me, but it looks like he gave it up. I manage to relax after that.

The next day, though, I wake up to the sound of my cell phone beeping.

It's not even daylight; what's going on?

I pick up the phone, and ask, "Hello?"

"Oh, Carly? Sorry to call so early." Yosef says.

"Never mind that; what's going on?" I ask.

"It's the store…" Yosef says, and I knew that I needed to get to the bakery ASAP.

I get to the store faster than a Mako shark chasing a tuna, and I soon find Yosef running around, surrounded by the ingredients we've needed.

"Where did all of this come from?" I ask, quite surprised.

However, I feel a sense of déjà vu coming over me, and I think what might be going on. Sieg sent us a bunch of flour after the marriage interview and I think this could be a relapse.

"Don't tell me…" I begin, knowing where the idea was going.

"Someone named Hans brought it all for us," Yosef tells me. "He's the guy who made that huge cake order before, right?"

Hans? But why?

"Carly? Are you listening?" Yosef asks.

"Permission to leave for a bit?" I ask.

"Huh?" Yosef asks me.

"I'll help out as soon as I get back; I promise!" I say, and then make a dash out the back door.

"Carly?!" Yosef shouts after me.

I make my way to the castle and then I ask after Hans.

"Hans!" I shout.

"Miss Carly! What's the matter?" Hans asks me.

He hurries out to meet me and I put on my biggest smile.

"Thank you so much for the supplies." I say.

"Is that why you're here?" Hans asks me.

"Yes, but I really wish I knew why any of the suppliers won't work with us…" I ask.

"I did some investigating into your store's situation myself. It's our fault that your store is suffering. So the supplies were an apology." Hans says.

"How am I ever going to repay you for that…" I ask, really touched.

"It was all Sieg's decision." Hans states.

"I knew it!" I say, with a smile. "I came over to tell him that I appreciate it. Is he available?"

"He's currently very busy." Hans replies.

"Expo work, I guess; is a telephone call possible?" I inquire to him.

"Hans looks troubled, and I feel like something is going on.

"Miss Carly, I know you came all the way here, but… I'm sorry. I'll pass on your thanks." Hans says.

"Okay. Forgive me for bothering you about it." I say.

"Not at all." Hans says.

His expression lightens up a bit, and I leave the castle; it's best not to hang around in this situation.

"Carly, you're really working your butt off." A coworker or mine tells me.

"Sure am; I need to make up for the inconvenience." I say, as I'm working on some lemon chiffon pie.

It's too bad I wasn't able to thank Sieg directly, but I'll make him something really good in return. As I'm enthusiastically working away, one of the staff comes into the kitchen, and sighs.

"What's up?" I ask.

"Oh, Carly… It's the store…" The staff member says, and then he explains what's going on.

Looking in from the kitchens, I see two thuggish men hanging around; doesn't seem like they're patrons.

"How long have they been there? All morning?" I ask Yosef.

"Yes, they're not doing anything, just looking at the displays. But with those two here, customers are afraid to come in…" Yosef tells me.

"I'll talk to them." I say, about to go and confront them.

"No! I don't want another commotion. That might be their aim." Yosef tells me.

"True…" I say, but what else can I do?

However, the door's bell rings and then a large man comes into the store, and now I'm about to get chills.

"Oh, crud… Is he one of their friends?" I ask, getting a bit scared.

"C-Could be." Yosef says.

However, a sense of familiarity overcomes me and then I wonder where I've seen this particular guy.

The big man comes up behind the other two and he then taps them on the shoulder.

"I can't see the cakes with you two in the way." The big man says.

"Huh? What, you lookin' for a fight?" One of the first thugs asks.

"Don't make a scene here. Let's take this outside." The larger man says.

"Who d'you think you are?!" The second thug demands.

"Guess I got no choice." The large man says.

"Argh?!" The first thug says.

"W-What you doin'… lemme go!" The second thug shouted.

The larger man had grabbed the other two by the scruff of their necks and then he dragged them out.

"Guess he wasn't their friend after all. Looks like he drove them off…" Yosef says.

"That's a relief." I say with a smile.

A moment later, the big man comes back into the store and approaches the counter.

"Sorry for that scene," The man told us. "I'd like thirty of your special madeleines."

"S-Sure!" Yosef says. "Thank you."

As I watch him leave, it hits me: this is the same person who followed me back to the store here yesterday.

I rush after him, and I see him rounding the street corner. Spotting him, I turn the corner after him, but I hear his voice.

"Yeah, no problem at the store. I got rid of the brats," I hear him say, and I see him talking on his cell phone. "Miss Carly seems to be working hard today too…'

Me?

"Yes, I got the thirty madeleines like you asked." The man says.

The madeleines… I then get an idea of whom he's talking to over the phone.

* * *

><p>Later that night, after work, I get a ride with the man to the castle.<p>

"Miss Carly, please wait here a moment." The man asks.

"Okay." I say, with a nod.

"Miss Carly," Hans says, as he comes back with the man. "I was surprised to find that one of the security team brought you here…"

"I realized this bodyguard was keeping tabs on me. I really wanted to thank you for going that distance for me, so I brought a cake I made with the ingredients you gave us." I say.

"Miss Carly…" Hans begins, and his expression clouds over slightly, like last time.

"Could you pass this on to Sieg? He's probably busy, isn't he?" I ask.

"Yes. I'm terribly sorry, but he's busy today, too…" Hans tells me.

"Hans, it's fine." I hear someone say, and then I turn to see Sieg.

"Sieg!" I say.

"You came to thank me?" Sieg asks me.

"Yes. Thank you so much for the supplies, and for the bodyguard," I say to him. "If not for you, the store can be open again and now my life can go about normally."

"I'm glad to hear it." Sieg says to me.

_~Sieg's POV~_

"Yes, so I brought you a cake." Carly says, handing it over to me.

I hate doing this, but… I have to. For her sake...

"I see," I say, and then begin the act. "I don't need it."

It's not that I don't want it; I don't deserve it after what I've done to her, and to her store.

"Pardon?" She asks me.

"I'm to blame for the trouble you and your store went through. I was just doing my duty." I say; I hate saying this.

I keep my tone professional and business-like.

"Sieg, what's gotten into you?" Carly asks. "Something's definitely wrong."

"Nothing's wrong. Anyway, stop coming to the castle." I tell her, before losing my poker face.

"Hold on…" Carly begins.

I know she's probably confused, but I have no choice.

"I've been busy lately. I don't have the time to look after you," I say. "I'll make sure I don't disrupt your life any further. And to stop this getting even more out of hand, you need to stop coming here."

"I get it…" Carly says.

"Hans, take the cake." I say.

"Y-Yes…" Hans says.

After that, I dismiss Carly and I stalk off; I'm tempted to look back.

_~End of Sieg's POV~_

All I can do is watch Sieg leave, and I'm completely shocked.

"Miss Carly?" Hans asks me.

"Yes?" I ask.

"We're here." Hans says; he dropped me off at my house.

"Oh…" I say, before getting out of the car.

My head's been a complete hurricane on the drive.

"Miss Carly… are you okay?" Hans asks me.

"No." I state.

Hans gives me a worried look and I just decide to speak up.

"What was with Sieg back there?" I ask.

Hans hesitates to answer me.

"He ordered you to prevent me from seeing him, didn't he?" I ask.

"I…" Hans begins, before averting his eyes.

Figures…

"Sieg… he thinks that it's best to place some distance between the two of you." Hans tells me.

"Pardon?" I ask.

"But that is in order to protect you." Hans tells me.

I know _that_ much. But when I said we shouldn't see each other again, he totally disagreed with me.

_"I will protect you. Just trust me."_

His words once again echo through my head about ten times.

* * *

><p><strong>That Sieg! He keeps flipping his script! One minute he says to trust him, and now he says we need distance! Is he just messing with me?! I don't even know what's going on, but someone really unexpected shows up at the apartment...<strong>


	8. Chapter 8

**Of all the people to come and visit me at my apartment, it's Hans! What does he want? It's not like he's here for me, so what is his reason? But after Hans' visit, I'm beginning to piece together the culprit behind my problems...**

**Contains adaptation of "Build Me Up Buttercup" by The Foundations**

* * *

><p>"Sieg… he thinks that it's best to place some distance between the two of you." Hans tells me.<p>

"Pardon?" I ask.

"But that is in order to protect you." Hans tells me.

I know _that_ much. But when I said we shouldn't see each other again, he totally disagreed with me.

_"I will protect you. Just trust me."_

His words once again echo through my head about ten times.

A few days later at the shop…

_"Sieg thinks it's best to put some distance between the two of you." _

Hearing Hans' words repeat over and over in my mind, it's beginning to get to me.

"Carly? Carly?" I hear someone say, and I snap out of my daze.

"Y-Yes?" I ask.

I've been cleaning the kitchen and I've been lost in my own troubles lately. I see Yosef giving me an anxious look.

"You've been distracted lately; is everything okay?" Yosef asks me.

"Sorry…" I say.

"No no, you don't need to apologize. I'm just worried about you," Yosef tells me. "You're usually so bright and cheerful, yet recently you seem downcast."

"Thanks for the concern… But I'm finer than feathers," I say. "I'll keep my focus."

I slap on a smile and Yosef looks a tad relieved.

"Really? Then instead of cleaning, can I ask you to go to the shops? We're running low on raisins." Yosef asks me.

"Leave it to me!" I say, putting down the broom.

* * *

><p>After picking up the raisins, I'm running back to the shop with the large, ten-pound sack of raisins.<p>

However, on my way back, I notice there's a large group of people gathered in front of a large TV screen on the corner.

"It's an interview with the princes!" "They said it's about preparations for the Expo."

I see that the princes are fielding questions from reporters while standing in the castle gardens.

It _has_ been some time since I've seen Sieg, but now he seems so far away. The fact that I even talked with him normally seems like a dream. But now I've stopped to watch.

On the screen…

"It must be a lot of hard work?" A reporter asks.

"Yes, but things are going well thanks to the efforts of the government and crew." Prince Hayden replies.

"This is an important Expo for strengthening relations between our countries. We want this to be a success." Prince Kuon adds.

The reporter says, "This is the first time Sacnt Sybil and Shaharazal are participating. Has it been tough for you?"

"Not at all. I'm just focused on fulfilling my role as my kingdom's representative." Ivan replies.

"Everyone's taken good care of us with no problems." Aslan adds.

"Sieg, just as the preparations are coming to a head… you're also rumored to be turning up the heat in your personal life." The reporter says.

I _knew_ they were probably going to spring that one on him…

Sieg hesitates to reply to that.

"We request that you keep all questions related to the Expo." Prince Oliver says.

The reporter ignores Prince Oliver and says, "Prince Sieg, about that girl…"

"Excuse me, but…" Oliver begins, trying to keep the conversation going in the intended direction.

"It's fine, Oliver. This is a good opportunity for me to explain," Sieg says. Oh, now what?! "The girl in question is a talented pastry chef, so I asked her to give me lessons in baking. That day, she was ill and missed our lesson. I went to see how she was. That's all. But I regret that my careless actions stirred up the press. I apologize for the trouble I caused."

Phew… Sieg told the truth.

"You seemed very close in the photos." The reporter comments.

"Those photos were taken to make that appear to be the case." Sieg states.

"So you're saying that this girl is not your lover?" The reporter inquires.

"She's not," Sieg says. "But… She's very important to me."

Say what?! Sieg, that's a little reckless of you to say…

Prince Sieg's words are causing an uproar amongst the reporters and now I'm worried about what else is going to happen…

"Prince Sieg, what do you mean by that…!" One of the reporters asks.

"I'm sorry! This interview is over!" Hans shouts, as he gets between Sieg and the reporters.

"Prince Sieg, just one more word!" Another reporter asks.

Sieg stops as he's walking off, his back to the camera.

"Let me take this opportunity to say that I won't let anyone intimidate her or threaten her livelihood again. I will protect that girl with my life!" Sieg says.

His glare is sharp, and it's burning into the camera. I don't think royals like him would dare look that menacing and hostile.

"He said she's not his lover." "But… wasn't that a confession?" "I'm so jealous!"

Amongst the crowd, I'm staring into space. Sieg, do you know how reckless that was of you to do?! I don't know if he does or not, but now I'm even more worried than usual. Why did he say that?! That idiot… Especially after he said we needed distance to prevent this from getting out of control…

"Hey, doesn't that girl over there look like the one from the photos with Prince Sieg?"

Someone asks, and then I snap back out of my daze. I lower my head and make a speedy run to the bakery.

* * *

><p>I soon make it back and then Yosef approaches me.<p>

"Carly! I was just watching TV, and…" Yosef begins.

"I saw it, too…" I say, admitting it.

"You can go home for the day," Yosef tells me. "Prince Sieg's distracted them for now, but the media will probably turn up here soon."

"Point taken. I'm really sorry about this." I say.

"Take care on your way home." Yosef tells me.

I make it home without getting tailed by any reporters or paparazzi. Once I make it to my house, I throw myself onto the bed and a million thoughts are running through my head like a horse derby.

"First he tells me to trust him, then he says we need to make distance, and now he went and said all of that…" I say.

The more I think this over, the less I understand what Sieg feels.

"Is he just messing with me?" I say.

I then start getting into song and I just decide to vent.

_"Why does he build me up (build me up) that Prince Sieg Lieben? Just to let me down (let me down) and mess me around?" _I sing, as I roll over on my bed in anxiety.

_"And then worst of all, (worst of all) he flips his script daily, no matter what I try (what I try), and I wonder why." _I sing, standing up.

_"What's with him? (What's with him?) It isn't like I've been crying. He's been acting like this from day one. Why build me up (build me up) Sieg Lieben, stop the confusion." _

I then remember the first day he and I met.

_"When I was at Nobel Michel, you hit my head quite well with flowers. Was that intentional? (Ba-dah-dah) When we danced that night, you made my temper ignite, that's too true. You angered me the next day, it's not like I had a say at all. What was wrong with you?" _I sing, remembering the first dance we had, plus the marriage interview the next day.

_"(Hey, hey, hey) Sieg Lieben, can't you be (hey, hey, hey) a little more honest with me? Why is it that I'm always questioning what you do? Hmmm-mmm-mmm-mmm." _I sing, as I then go to the window to look to the castle.

_"Why does he build me up (build me up) that Prince Sieg Lieben? Just to let me down (let me down) and mess me around?" _I sing, before shutting the window.

_"And then worst of all (worst of all), he flips his script daily, no matter what I try (what I try), and I wonder why." _I sing, as I go up and get myself a snack.

_"What's with him? (What's with him?) It isn't like I've been crying. He's been acting like this from day one. Why build me up (build me up) Sieg Lieben, stop the confusion." _I sing, as I eat my snack.

_"I'm amusing to you, that much is true to me. (bah-dah-dah) All of that I know. No matter what I say, you keep after me each day, why do you tease me so?" _I sing, a little upset with Sieg.

_"(Hey, hey, hey) Sieg Lieben, can't you be (hey, hey, hey) a little more honest with me? Why is it that I'm always questioning what you do? Hmmm-mmm-mmm-mmm." _I sing, as I then go to the window to look to the castle, once again.

_"Why does he build me up (build me up) that Prince Sieg Lieben? Just to let me down (let me down) and mess me around." _I sing, before shutting the window.

_"And then worst of all (worst of all), he flips his script daily, no matter what I try (what I try), and I wonder why." _I sing, as I go up and get myself a glass of lemonade.

_"What's with him? (What's with him?) It isn't like I've been crying. He's been acting like this from day one. Why build me up (build me up) Sieg Lieben, stop the confusion." _I sing, as I drink my lemonade.

_"You've been acting this way since the day we first met. You've been like this since day one. Why build me up? (Build me up?) Sieg Lieben, stop the confusion." _I sing as I then put my glass down and start feeling a little better.

I soon hear my doorbell ring, and then I begin to panic.

"Ack!" I scream. Don't tell me those idiots from the media are here? How'd they tail me?

I hesitantly go to the door; I keep my back to the wall next to the hinge of the door and I make a grab for the doorknob.

"Carly? It's Hans. Could you open the door?" Hans asks from outside.

Hans? What is he doing here?

I relax, before opening the door and then I say, "Hans, boy, am I glad to see you."

His face is apologetic and he refuses to talk.

"You here about the interview earlier?" I ask.

"I am," Hans answers. "I thought it might have caused some trouble for you…"

"For the time being, everything's copacetic." I say.

"I'm relieved to hear that." Hans says to me.

"I haven't a clue what Sieg's thinking." I state.

"That's understandable," Hans tells me. "I came because I thought I might be able to explain a bit."

"Okay, then. Come on in." I say, beckoning Hans in, and then I shut and lock the door.

"This might be overstepping my bounds as a butler, but I'm here today as someone who cares about Prince Sieg." Hans tells me.

"You mean to tell me…" I begin, getting an idea of what happened. "Don't tell me that Sieg doesn't know you've snuck off."

Sheesh… For a butler, Hans sure knows how to meddle.

"Yes. It was my own decision to come here," Hans tells me. "I've left Sieg in someone else's hands for now. But he's probably aware by now."

I don't say anything as I pour some lemonade for Hans. I decided to have some mise en place for tea just in case.

"Before I talk about Sieg, allow me to start from the beginning of the story." Hans tells me.

"Shoot." I say, with a nod.

"The truth is, while Sieg's been out of contact with you, he's been investigating the grudge against your store." Hans explains.

"Really?" I ask, quite surprised.

"At first, he was just investigating the situation to protect you. But it was strange how far they went to fuel this media attack. Sieg thinks it's not just a matter of a simple gossip scandal." Hans says.

"I figured that was probably the case," I say. "I really suspect someone's actually behind this scandal because the suppliers shut us out, too."

"Yes, you are right. Someone bigger than a mere reporter is behind it." Hans replies to me.

"I thought so, but who?" I say with a nod.

"It's not my place to say." Hans admits.

I don't know why, but something in the back of my mind is coming forward… Something Sieg mentioned before… But what? Or who?

"I'm sorry…" Hans says; his expression is grave. I can tell that this is quite serious. "Anyway, you're a victim in all this. When he learned this, Sieg didn't know what to do. To protect you, he didn't know if he should completely cut ties with you or if he should keep you beside him."

"So when he said we needed distance the way he did…" I begin, but I decide to let Hans finish.

"He was torn between those two options." Hans says.

That explains everything. He's been worried about me the whole time?

"I was thinking that Sieg was just messing with me, flipping the script the way he did. Now I'm regretting that I even thought that." I say.

"No… anyone would have felt like that," Hans says to me. "When it comes to expressing his feelings, Sieg can be rather awkward. Though it may be unprofessional of me to speak on behalf of my master, I couldn't stand the thought of you misunderstanding Sieg's actions."

"Oh, Hans…" I say, feeling a bit better. "You're not unprofessional at all. I'm certain Sieg is happy to have you as his butler."

"Really?" Hans says, with a relieved smile. "Miss Carly…"

"Yes?" I inquire.

"I think that Sieg decided toady which way he was going to go about protecting you. And he gave that answer at today's press conference." Hans explains.

"Oh…" I say.

"How you respond is, of course, entirely up to you…" Hans says.

The corners of his eyes crinkle affectionately as he watches me sit here in surprise.

* * *

><p>Later that night, Hans had left and I try to get to bed. But I'm incapable of falling asleep right now.<p>

What is Hans saying? That Sieg wants to be with me? But… That makes no sense to me. Does Sieg want me at his side as his friend, or what? I don't know… But I can't cause any more issues for the store.

As for that 'someone bigger', I don't know why, but I feel like I may already know the answer to that.

I myself look at the clock and it's already 3 AM.

"What is it that I want?" I ask myself as I get out of bed.

I go to the window to get some night breezes, but… As I'm looking out the window, I see a silhouette of someone slipping towards my apartment.

I get a little worried; on the other hand, it could be one of the tenants that came home late due to work. One of the tenants _is_ a doctor, and I tend to say that a doctor's work is never done.

However, I hear a quiet knock at my door. Who the heck is it at this hour?

I open the door and I see that of all people, it's Sieg. I let him in quietly, shut the door, and turn off the floor. Obviously, our eyes need a few seconds to adjust to the sudden light shift.

"Sorry to drop by unexpectedly." Sieg tells me.

"Sieg…" I say, a little nervous.

I start feeling my heart pounding like a drum now that he's right here in front of me. I can't even make eye contact with him.

"So Hans came to speak with you." Sieg says, breaking the ice.

"He told you?" I ask.

"More like I forced it out of him." Sieg says with a chuckle.

"He said he thought you'd catch on." I say with a smirk.

"He's terrible at hiding things from me." Sieg replies.

He chuckles a bit before taking my hands into his own.

"I'm sorry for confusing you." Sieg says to me.

"No…" I say, shaking my head.

"I couldn't decide whether or not I should involve you anymore. I tried to cut ties with you so many times. But the more I tried to distance myself, the more I ended up thinking about you," Sieg admits. "You're a real nuisance."

They say absence makes the heart grow fonder, and I think this is a perfect example. I certainly apply here; I couldn't forget about him, he couldn't cut ties with me.

"I don't know whether or not saying I'm a nuisance should be taken nicely or not." I say.

"I really tried," Sieg says, letting go of my hands, and then he slowly strokes my cheek. "It means you're that important to me…"

"Sieg…" I say, feeling tears come up to my eyes.

"I won't lie to you or hide things from you again. I want to be with you." Sieg confesses to me.

It's like I'm drowning in his blue eyes; they're so dark that they're almost purple.

"I… I can't break ties with you either…" I confess. So this is what's been in my heart.

"Does that mean you want to be with me, too?" Sieg asks me.

I can't help it, so… I speak up.

"Yes." I say.

"Okay… then… Pack your bags." He says unexpectedly.

"Say what?" I ask. "Why?"

"Why? Because we're going out." Sieg replies.

"That's too vague!" I say.

"Hurry up. If you won't do it yourself, I'll do it for you." Sieg says to me, before pulling out my drawers.

"Hey! That's…!" I begin, but then I clamp my mouth shut. Not my underwear…

"What, is there something you don't want me seeing?" Sieg asks me.

"Darn tootin'! It's very unexpected to just go through a girl's drawers!" I shout, my face redder than an apple.

"Then get ready!" Sieg says to me.

"The least you could do is tell me where we're headed!" I say.

"I want you to come home to DresVan with me." Sieg tells me.

"Pardon?" I ask. "To DresVan?"

"Yeah." SIeg says with a nod.

"What's the reason for DresVan as our destination?" I ask.

I see that his expression hardens and then he speaks.

"That gossip article was set up by someone in DresVan." Sieg explains.

"What…?" I begin, and then as I say it, something in my mind is starting to come forth. A name that I put in the back of my brain for a while, and it's finally coming to form. "Who?"

"Do you remember the name Ulrich?" Sieg asks me.

That's when it dawns on me: Ulrich was the one who set up that gossip scandal and now I know what was coming up from my mind earlier.

"He's that cockroach who's been by your father's side recently, right?" I ask.

"Yeah." Sieg says.

"That reporter, Jake, _did_ say something about someone telling him about our relationship." I mention.

"The reporter who chased you? I hear about that from Hans. And when I investigated him, it turns out he received money from Ulrich." Sieg tells me.

"That cockroach… But why…?" I inquire.

"I still don't know what his purpose is. Maybe he wanted to create a scandal so the King would lose faith in me. Or maybe he just wanted to hurt me by destroying my relationship with you." Sieg states.

"How cruel…" I say, getting angry.

"It was also Ulrich who blackballed your store." Sieg informs me.

"That explains why the suppliers stopped selling to us." I say, crossing my arms.

"Anyway, now that I know he's up to something, I've decided to return in secret." Sieg explains.

"But why take me?" I ask.

"Ulrich has information on you. If you were left here alone, you'd be in danger," Sieg informs me. "I told you I would protect you."

"Sieg…" I say.

"During the TV interview, I made two decisions. I made up my mind about you and I made a declaration of war with Ulrich." Sieg tells me.

Now that I think of it, Sieg's expression on the TV was really fierce.

"Will you come with me?" Sieg asks me.

I want to be able to back Sieg up when he needs me. I don't just want him to protect me or defend my honor.

"I'll go to DresVan with you." I say to Sieg.

* * *

><p><strong>Sieg and I are on our way to DresVan Kingdom in secret, but something goes wrong on the train and I end up meeting that cockroach, Ulrich, face-to-face! What's his deal?!<strong>


	9. Chapter 9

**I end up getting kidnapped by Ulrich and I manage to get some information out of him. However, I also end up becoming the one thing that Sieg has to give up in order to keep his right to the throne. Will I step back or let disaster fall upon DresVan? Contains adaptation of "My Lullaby" from "The Lion King II: Simba's Pride"**

* * *

><p>"During the TV interview, I made two decisions. I made up my mind about you and I made a declaration of war with Ulrich." Sieg tells me.<p>

Now that I think of it, Sieg's expression on the TV was really fierce.

"Will you come with me?" Sieg asks me.

I want to be able to back Sieg up when he needs me. I don't just want him to protect me or defend my honor.

"I'll go to DresVan with you." I say to Sieg.

After throwing a few things together in my suitcase, I leave the apartment with Prince Sieg. However, the luxury car isn't there.

"Where's the car? Are we going by foot or something?" I ask.

"Part way will be by car, but not the usual limousine." Sieg says, as he then looks towards an ordinary car and where it's parked.

"I brought a car that won't attract attention." Sieg says.

"Nice," I say. "Returning in secret also means the vehicle must be inconspicuous."

"What, is it not up to your standards?" He jokingly says.

"I love it." I say, smiling.

"Right, you're the girl who was gonna turn up at the castle in that indistinct car." Sieg says.

"Talking about our first meeting?" I inquire.

"Pfft…" Sieg says, stifling a laugh.

"Cut it out." I say.

Hans is waiting for us in the driver's seat as we get in the back.

"Hi, Hans." I say with a smile.

"Let's go." Sieg says, taking my hand.

"Okay." Hans replies.

Just as the car starts moving, I hear Hans sniffing and sniveling from up front. Is Hans crying?

"What's the problem, Hans?" I ask.

"I-I'm sorry. I'm just emotional." Hans asked.

"Explanation, please?" I inquire.

"Yes, that you're coming with us… Of course, I always believed you would. But now that you're really here I can't help crying." Hans explains.

I didn't know Hans was this sentimental.

"Prince Sieg, on the other hand, looks unimpressed.

"Butlers aren't supposed to show their emotions openly in front of people." Sieg says.

"I know, but I can't help it…" Hans says, before sniveling again.

"Here's my handkerchief." I say to Hans before handing it over to him.

"Thank you." Hans says, taking my handkerchief and wiping his eyes.

"Just focus on driving." Sieg says.

"I know you said this earlier, but part way will be by car, right?" I ask.

"That's right." Sieg says.

* * *

><p>We soon arrive at the train station.<p>

"The rest of the way will be by railroad?" I ask.

"Yeah, it's easier than going by car," Sieg says. "And we won't stand out as much if we're around a lot of people."

"Sieg, I've reserved a carriage for you in first class." Sieg says.

"Thanks…" Sieg replies.

As we're making our way to our carriage…

"Oh! Is that you, Sieg?" Someone asks. We see a man wearing an expensive-looking suit approaching us.

"Crap, he's a DresVanese aristocrat…" Prince Sieg whispers to me.

Talk about rotten luck.

"I've been staying with a relative in Nobel Michel. I'm just on my way back to DresVan, but traveling by sleeper train feels like a vacation in itself." The aristocrat tells us.

"I'm sorry, but I think you've mistaken me for someone else." Sieg says.

"Huh? But your voice is strikingly similar to Prince Sieg's…" The aristocrat says.

NUTS!

"I said you're wrong! Stop buggin' me." Sieg says.

Okay, didn't expect Sieg to say something like _that_.

Sieg turns his back on the aristocrat and strides away.

"Did I fool him?" Sieg asks.

"I'm not sure…" I say, feeling a little nervous.

"In any case, we probably shouldn't be in first class…" Sieg says.

He's right.

"I'm sorry for not thinking straight… first class was a bad idea," Hans says. "My carriage is in second class. You'll be less easily recognized there."

"I'm having a hard time picturing you traveling in second class, Sieg." I say.

"What about you, Carly…?" Hans asks me.

"I'm going with Sieg in second class; what else?" I say.

"Okay." Hans says with a smile.

Prince Sieg nods with satisfaction.

"Well, of course you would. Let's go." Sieg says to me as I go with him.

We make it to the carriage, but… There's only one bed. I'm stuck in my spot while Sieg clears his throat.

"Ready to take a shower?" Sieg asks me.

"Huh?! Wouldn't that be…" I begin.

"So you don't want to?" Sieg asks me.

"No, I want to, but…" I say, a little flustered.

"What are you getting so flustered about? I'm offering to let you go first." Sieg says.

So that's what he was talking about.

"In that case, you go first." I say.

"What are you talking about?" Sieg asks.

Well, hey, he was talking like he and I were going to shower together… How was I supposed to react?

"Please, you go ahead." I say.

"Okay." Sieg says.

The size of the room is making it so that I can hear the sound of the shower close by. Is being alone with Sieg in this cramped spot going to be okay?

While I'm waiting, I'm a little restless; I try not to panic and lose my cool due to being in the same room as Sieg.

Sieg comes out of the shower and… he's nude.

"Your turn." Sieg says.

I cover my eyes and turn away before saying, "Hey! Sieg, why are you naked like that?!"

"Huh?" Sieg says, and then realizes what I mean. "Oops. Sorry; just a habit."

He goes back into the bathroom and then returns in a dressing gown.

Man… He looks so sexy when he's straight out of the shower like that… My eyes are glued to him as he dries his hair with his towel.

"What?" Sieg asks me.

"Uh, nothing!" I say, before blinking.

Once I'm out of the shower, I see Sieg on the bed, reading a book. The question is: now what?

He raises his eyes from the book while I'm hesitating, because I don't know what to do with myself.

"Uh…" Sieg says.

"Yes?" I ask.

"No… It's nothing," Sieg says to me, blushing. He stands up. "You sleep here."

"What about you?" I ask.

"Right… I'll… I'll just stand here and read my book." Sieg says.

"So you're not going to rest until we reach DresVan?" I ask.

"I suppose so." Sieg says.

"You can't do that." I say.

"Just hush and take my up on my offer." Sieg says.

"Heck no! I'm going to go and ask if they have a spare mattress." I say.

"No, if you do that you'll draw attention to us." Sieg says, grabbing my wrist.

"But…" I say.

Sieg sighs, but gives a small smile.

"It's stupid to keep arguing about this," Sieg says. "It's fine. We'll both sleep in the bed."

Okay, now I'm worried… He climbs into bed and turns to face me.

"Come on." Sieg says.

I merely nod and awkwardly climb into the bed and get beneath the covers. I end up accidentally rushing up against Sieg's arm.

Nuts! My heart's going ballistic.

"Carly…" Sieg says, as I feel him drawing closer. I'm lying rigidly, and staring at the ceiling.

"S-Sieg… Ah… I-I…" I begin.

He gives my cheek a light pinch and then I get confused.

"Don't look like that. I'll sleep over on that side," Sieg says. "It's the most logical option."

The logic portion makes me relax a bit.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to try anything. Get some sleep, even though it's only for a short while," Sieg says. "Once we arrive in DresVan, we'll be busy."

Sieg turns his back to me and settles down.

"Night…" I say, turning my back to his, as well.

I can't fall asleep, knowing that his back is slightly touching mine. I can't relax.

Sieg seems to have the same issue.

"Can't sleep?" Sieg asks me.

"Yeah…" I say.

"I thought you were the kind of girl who could fall asleep anywhere." Sieg says to me.

"Normally." I say. But today, it's useless.

"Really?" Sieg says to me.

"Um…" I begin, trying to think of an idea. "Wanna chat for a bit?"

"Chat? About what?" Sieg asks me.

"Okay… What book were you reading a while ago?" I ask.

"A cookbook, from Shaharazal. I borrowed it from Aslan." Sieg says.

"Oh, from Shaharazal?" I ask. "The food there is different from here, isn't it?"

"Yeah, it's interesting how much spice they use in everything," Sieg says to me. "Once I've mastered it, I'll make some for you."

"You really do love cooking, don't you?" I ask.

"Yeah, I do. There's nothing like that feeling of happiness you get from working steadily and following the instructions to create something delicious." Sieg tells me.

"When did you start?" I ask.

"I've been told I made my first rice balls when I was three years old." Sieg tells me.

"Incredible." I say.

"My grandfather, King Joshua, wasn't very good at cooking. I think he felt quiet dissatisfied by that. He asked my grandmother to give their kids and grandkids special training in cooking." Sieg says.

"Special training… Sounds tough." I say.

"Not at all, my grandmother was a great teacher; she taught us that if you cook with love, it will naturally turn out to be delicious." Sieg says.

"She sounds like an amazing woman." I say.

"Yes," Sieg says. "Why did you decide to become a pastry chef?"

"Me? It's an embarrassing reason… I love sweet things, and I love making them, and I thought it'd be nice if I could make some people happy, too." I admit.

"Pfft!" Sieg says, stifling a laugh.

"Hey, are you laughing at me?" I ask.

"Sorry… it was even more simple than I expected." Sieg says.

"Oh, shut it." I say, turning my eyes away.

"Heheh… Just like you." Sieg says.

"Quit making fun of me." I say.

"I'm not making fun," Sieg says. "I mean that frankness is just like you…"

He turns towards me and gently trails a finger down my cheek. My heart begins pounding as his touch brings heat to my skin.

"Do you have any dreams for the future?" Sieg asks me.

"I want to be able to gain as much experience as I can, and earn enough money from my savings to open up my own bakery." I say with passion.

"Really…" Sieg says, quite interested.

"How about you?" I ask.

"I don't really have any," Sieg says, while giving me a sad look. I guess that's given. "I thought it was my destiny to become King and lead my kingdom."

"I guess that makes sense…" I say.

"But… although I always believed that, it seems like I've hit a barrier. I don't know whether or not I'm even fit to be king…" Sieg says.

"Oh, come on," I say. "You'd be amazing! I'm sure it's hard enough being the leader of an entire nation. I can't even imagine it. But you've worked your butt off just to get to that goal. Don't lose hope so easily."

"Carly…" Sieg says, his eyes wide.

"Baking and cooking is the same; prepare properly, follow the instructions, and BOOM, you get something great." I say.

"Haha, you say some funny things…" Sieg says, a smile across his face.

"But that cockroach, Ulrich… What's his game?" I wonder aloud.

"DresVan's changed since he became the King's aide." Sieg says.

"There's a lot of fancy parties and large-scale construction going on, I've heard." I say.

"Yeah, and then he set up that gossip scandal on us…" Sieg says.

"Cut off supplies at my work…" I continue.

"He must have some sort of aim." Sieg states.

"That's probably it…" I say.

"I hope to find out what it is by coming back to DresVan…" Sieg says to me.

"You were able to unearth this much while in Nobel Michel; you're definitely going to find more info when you get home." I say.

"When you say that, I really feel like I can do it." Sieg says.

"Really?" I ask.

"Yeah…" Sieg says. "You're always so optimistic, it really helps me…"

He smiles at me and strokes the back of my head. He then pulls my head towards him, but…

**_*SCREECH* *CLANG*_**

"Ack!" I shout.

"Argh?!" Sieg hollers.

The train slams to a halt, and I end up being thrown on top of Sieg. This is embarrassing… I then feel something different; I open my eyes, and then…

"GAAAH!" I scream and then I back off. Snap, my breasts were on his face! "F-Forgive me…"

"It's okay…" Sieg says, as I turn my face away. Sheesh, who put Carolina Reaper chilies on my face?!

"Carly…" Sieg says, but I don't answer.

"Don't worry about it. It's not like its that big a deal." Sieg says.

This only ticks me off, and while I'm about to whip around and give him a piece of my mind… I end up aware of a commotion outside the carriage.

"It's noisy out there." Sieg says.

"What's going on?" I inquire.

We look at each other, then check out the scene at the corridor.

"There's a fire in the last carriage!" "Everyone, hurry and get off the train!"

People are streaming down the corridor to escape, and now I'm worried.

"This is bad…" I say.

"We need to leave, too." Sieg says.

"No joke!" I say.

Holding hands, we make a break for the exit, squashed between people.

"Waaaah! Mommy! Mommy!" I hear a child scream.

I see a little girl, and she's crying in the corner of the hall. I make my way over, but…

"Don't let go of my hand." Sieg says to me.

"There's a child!" I protest, and then he and I both rush over to the girl.

"Let's get off the train together. Your mommy must be waiting outside." I say.

"Okay…" The young girl says.

"Sieg! Help me with her." I ask.

"Okay." Sieg picks the little girl up in his arms.

"You follow behind me." Sieg says.

"Right!" I say.

We make out way for the exit, and once its in sight, I feel a wave of relief. But…

Someone then grabs me, and I'm about to scream, but a hand covers my mouth from behind.

* * *

><p>I scream muffled shouts, but then I smell some kind of chemical coming into my nose. The crowd blocks Sieg from my eyes, and then I'm out cold. Everything fades to black.<p>

"Carly!" I hear Sieg shout. I can see him running towards me, looking serious.

"Sieg…" I murmur, and I try to take his hand, but I can't reach it… Somehow, I'm getting further away from him.

"Carly, wait! Don't go!" Sieg shouts to me.

"Sieg!" I holler back.

"Sieg…" I mutter, as I then open my eyes; I find myself lying in a dim room. "Where the…?"

I remember my mouth being covered as I tried to get off the train. Was I kidnapped?!

I stand up and try to turn the doorknob, but it won't move. I see there's a small window and then I look out.

I see a hooded individual from the back, and the other two people, I recognize: the same goons from the bakery!

"So, what's next, boss…?" One of the thugs asked.

I then swear I hear music coming from outside and then I keep my mouth shut as I listen.

_"Shush! Shush, my loyal ones… We still have work to do." _The hooded individual sings. _"Listen up, my servants… Let our goals take wing… When the time comes soon enough, I will become king."_

I keep hearing music, and I continue listening.

_"My family's in exile, isolated! Left alone with no defense! When I think of what that king did, I get a little tense," _The hooded man sings, as he walks around. _"But I dream a dream so pretty, that I don't feel so depressed. Cause it soothes my inner kitty, and it helps me get some rest."_

He turns to his underlings and sings, _"The sound of the King's dying gasp!"_

One of the thugs pretends to choke.

_"That prince screaming in my grasp!" _The hooded man sings. _"That little lady's mournful cry… That's my lullaby!"_

He gets up higher, and then he sings, _"Now the past, others have forgotten, and House Lieben, they can forgive. Trouble is, I know it's petty, but I hate to let them live!"_

I hold my breath as I hear this.

_"So you'll be the somebody who'd chase the king up a tree!"_ The second of the thugs sang.

_"Oh, things won't get too bloody, and that quite works for me," _The hooded individual sings. _"The melody of the chanting crowd! A counterpoint of being proud! The moment of the King's death, oh, my! That's my lullaby!"_

He gets off of the platform of stone from what I can see, and then he continues with his song.

_"Elders are gone, but I am still around… To take back what is ours… I'm going to take revenge! And then send Prince Sieg to Mars!" _The hooded man sings.

_"That's all fine and good… Uh, don't listen to me…" _The first of the thugs sings.

_"When the time comes soon enough…" _The second of the thugs sings.

_"I will be a king!"_ The hooded man, whose face I can't see, sings.

_"The pounding of the commemoration drums! The sound of instruments and their hums!" _The hooded man sings.

_"The joy of payment!" _The first of the thugs sings.

_"Testify!" _The second thug sings.

_"I can hear the cheering!" _The hooded man sings.

_"Go, boss, what a guy!" _The two thugs sing.

_"Payback time is nearing, and then our flag will fly! Against a blood-red sky! That's my lullaby!" _The hooded man sings as the song finishes up.

That was the straw that broke the camel's back, and then I start pounding on the door.

"Hey! Let me out! Please let me out of here!" I shout.

The door clicks open and then a man shoves me back.

"Ouch…" I say, before relaxing.

"Shut it. Stop making a fuss." The first thug says to me.

I keep my mouth shut, and the hooded man comes into the room, as well.

"Do all ordinary girls make this much of a racket?" He asks me.

"Alright, who are you and did you bring me here?" I demand.

"I was looking forward to seeing the girl Prince Sieg's so crazy about, but you fail to impress." He tells me.

"Oh, quiet! Who cares what you think, sir… or should I say _Ulrich_?" I say, stating the name that's been giving DresVan so much grief lately.

His mouth twists into a grin and then says, "I'm honored that you know me."

"Okay, you brought me here, now spill it! What's your reason?" I demand.

"Because you're Prince Sieg's weakness… You're gonna stay here for a while. Surely, this can't be much different from your room at home?" Ulrich says to me.

"Oh, shut up," I say. "Don't change the subject; you're the one who arranged that scandal and blackballed the store, didn't you, you verminous, lying, piece of scum! You're not going to get away with discrediting Prince Sieg!"

Ulrich's eyes widen and then he says, "Oh, are you that smitten with the little prince? I intended not to leave any traces. I can't underestimate him."

"Now… What in the name of James Beard are you planning?" I demand of him.

"Hahaha… You've got guts," Ulrich says, as his eyes gleam threateningly. "My plan…? Well, if I were to sum it up: destruction."

I let that word run through my mind.

"Ulrich, should you really be telling her this?" The second thug asks.

"It's fine. She can't escape. Right?" Ulrich says.

"Right." The second thug says.

He doesn't know what I'm capable of…

He chuckles to himself while I stand my ground.

"Well, then Carly. It was fun meeting you. I don't know if we'll meet again, so, farewell." Ulrich says, before leaving, and then the thugs look at me before licking their lips.

This makes my skin crawl.

"Ulrich didn't seem impressed by ya. But you're just my type." The first of the thugs says.

"Mine, too…" The second thug says.

I don't know what they're going to do, but I know that I need to escape.

"Back off! Keep your verminous, filthy hands off me! Or I'm going to _make_ you!" I shout, before smacking the hand away.

"You've got spirit." The second thug says.

"Just calm down and we won't hurt ya." The second thug says.

I'm unsure of what to do, and I'm getting goosebumps, but then I have an idea.

"Alright, fine." I say, before keeping my mouth shut.

"Good girl…" The first thug says.

I catch him unaware and then I rush at him with all of my strength. I tackle him, and his back slams into the floor.

"Don't mess with us, you witch! Stop!" The second thug shouts, but I give him a roundhouse kick into the stomach.

I then dash out the door and slam I shut before rushing up the stairs leading to the surface two at a time; the faster I get out of here, the better.

I'm heavily breathing as I run, and the thugs are right behind me.

"Hey! Stop!" The first thug shouts.

"Someone help!" I scream, at the top of my lungs, but no one is around, and then I notice the men are coming at me from both sides, blocking off my escape route.

Good thing I know martial arts…

"Don't give us a hard time now!" The first thug tells me.

The thugs are holding knives, and _now_ I'm scared. Okay, chef knives are one thing, but this is ridiculous.

"What's the point in doing this?" I ask.

"We'll… we're just in this for tha money. We can't let ya get away." Thug number two tells me.

"We're gonna take our time with you." The first thug says.

"Strugglin's not gonna do you any good, understand?" The second thug tells me.

He presses the knife to my throat, and while I'm scared, I pray and hope for Sieg to help me.

"Carly!" I hear someone shout, and then I look in the direction of where the shout came from.

"Sieg!" I say, with tears of joy in my eyes.

"It's Prince Sieg! What the hell?!" The first of the thugs says.

"Tch… I'm not getting caught. Let's get outta here!" The second thug says.

"You there, stop!" Sieg shouts.

However, the men ran off at full speed. I breathe a sigh of relief.

"Carly! Are you okay?" Sieg shouts to me as he runs towards me. He's out of breath.

"I-I'm fine…" I say, but I'm still a bit shaken.

"Your neck's bleeding…" Sieg says to me.

"Just where they held the knife." I say.

"Did those men hurt you?" Sieg says to me.

"I'm okay. They didn't get to lay a finger on me. I gave them a nice tackle-roundhouse kick combo." I say.

"Thank goodness…" Sieg says to me. He breathes a huge sigh of relief and then he hugs me to him tightly.

"I'm sorry you had to go through that terrifying experience. I was sick with worry when I realized you'd been taken. To lose you after I'd promise to protect you…" Sieg says, and I feel the pain in his voice.

"Sieg…" I say, while my chest goes tight at his pained voice. "You were on my mind the whole time."

I hug him back and he tightens his own arms in response. I feel so safe here. My fear gradually dies down. I wish time would just stop, and we could stay like this forever. I don't want to lose this feeling. I love him so much…

Love… I guess that's what I was feeling; the emotion that had been buried within my for such a long time.

I pull my head away from Sieg's chest as I become a little self-conscious.

"What is it?" Sieg asks, looking at me, worriedly.

"Nothing, I just…" I say, but then I look down; I can't look him in the eye.

"You okay?" He asks me.

"Yes… I've relaxed, now." I say to him.

"Good." Sieg says.

Something then occurs to me, so I speak up.

"How did you find me, anyway?" I ask.

"You have your cell phone on you, right?" Sieg asks me, and I nod. "When I looked for areas with no reception, this place came up."

I was underground at the time.

"Isn't it only cops that are capable of that?" I ask.

"Are you forgetting who I am? This is my kingdom, so I have my ways." Sieg says.

"Right… But isn't pulling those kinds of strings making you stand out?" I inquire.

"Don't worry. I made sure I was anonymous. Hans helped too." Sieg says; he smiles proudly, but then his expression turns serious, and changes the subject.

"Turns out that fire on the train was just a decoy. I'm sure it was arranged by Ulrich in order to kidnap you…" Sieg says.

"Speaking of whom… I met that scumbag." I say.

"What?!" Sieg says, in surprise.

"He came into the room where they had me held captive. Not to mention I heard him in a song number, too. I won't go into the lyrics. He admitted that he was the one responsible for the scandal and the grudge against the store. When I demanded that he tell me what he had planned, he said 'destruction'…" I tell Sieg.

"Destruction…" Sieg repeats, and then he clenches his fists. "Does he mean political destruction…? I made the right decision coming home. I'm going to the castle. Will you come with me?" Sieg asks me.

"Of course I'll come with you; if I stay out here in the open, Ulrich's goons might get me again." I say, and then we make our way to the castle.

* * *

><p>Once we're inside, we make a commotion.<p>

"Prince Sieg! Prince Sieg's back!" "Prince Sieg, welcome home!"

The castle is ringing with voices as Prince Sieg and I make an entrance. Some of the staff are greeting us very happily, while others are whispering each other in a huddle.

Some of them aren't happy to have Sieg back, as far as I can tell.

"Seems like Ulrich's men are here, too…" Sieg mutters.

I nod.

"Hans, ask the King if I can meet with him at once. Tell him it's an emergency." Sieg says.

"Understood." Hans tells us.

Sieg pulls me along by the hand.

"Come with me." Sieg says to me.

He brings me into a very elegant office.

"This…" I say, a little surprised.

"My office," Sieg says to me. "A long line of princes have used this room, including my grandfather."

This is a room that really reflects Sieg.

"Mind if I take a seat on the sofa?" I ask Sieg.

"Not at all…" Sieg says.

I take a seat on the couch, and I say, "Wow! It's so soft and comfy. I can feel how high-end and pricey it is."

"Geez, you're easy to please." Sieg says, giving a wry smile.

There's a knock at the door and then Hans comes in.

"Excuse me." Hans begins.

"Will the King see me now?" Sieg asks.

"I pleaded, but he said he can't see you." Hans says.

"What?" Sieg asks. "Did you tell him its urgent?"

"I did. But, he said he can't speak with you since you're supposed to be in Nobel Michel right now." Hans explains.

"That's stupid!" Sieg says.

"Talk about a load of baloney." I say in agreement.

Sieg is gnawing at his lip.

"What the hell! I'll go see him myself!" Sieg says, before storming out the door.

"Sieg! Wait!" Hans shouts.

"Hey, wait for me, Sieg!" I say, as I dash after him.

I follow Sieg into the throne room and then I see the King, with that cockroach Ulrich beside him.

"Ulrich!" Sieg shouts, before trying to rush at Ulrich. However, Hans holds him back. Good thing, too…

"Sieg, calm yourself! You are in the presence of the King!" Hans says, reminding Sieg of his manners.

"Tch…" Sieg says.

"Sieg. Why did you ignore my instructions and come back here?" The King asks.

I decide to keep silent for the time being.

"I'm sorry, Your Highness. But there's something I had to tell you." Sieg replies.

"Something so important that you ignore my orders?" The King inquires.

"Yes…" Sieg begins. "It's about that man, Ulrich. That man is trying to lead this kingdom into ruin!"

"What?!" The King asks.

"While I was in Nobel Michel, I caught rumors of political unrest here in DresVan. Ulrich led you into this, didn't he? Ulrich also engineered the scandal about me, then he damaged this girl's store, and even kidnapped her…" Sieg says, before throwing a worried glance at me, and then glaring fiercely at Ulrich. "I won't forgive you for this."

"Ahahahaha." Ulrich laughs, breaking the silence. I shudder in response. "You come back all of a sudden and start spouting this nonsense? Me? Destroy the kingdom? You're quite… funny."

After that, I snap.

"You lying, verminous, evil cockroach!" I shout, raising my voice; I can't hold back while this varmint is spewing trash. "Your highness, please listen to me. I was kidnapped at this man's orders! And I heard with my own ears that he wanted 'destruction'!"

"Oh? What do you think you're talking about, girl?" Ulrich asks me. "That is utter nonsense."

"What's nonsense is the fact that you continue to deny the truth! You cockroach! I'm telling the truth, and you know it!" I shout, getting angrier.

"Sieg… you and this girl…" The King begins.

"This girl…" Sieg says, before putting an arm around my shoulders and pulling me close. "Is the most important person in the world to me!"

"Sieg…" I say, with a blush on my cheeks. I feel his honest words resounding through my ears, and in my heart.

What is Sieg saying?! I see the King's eyes widen at hearing this, and now I'm worried.

"What?! I will not approve of your association with ordinary citizens!" The King says.

"What are you talking about?! Marriage between royalty and ordinary citizens is legally accepted. The previous queen was of ordinary birth, and she was an amazing person." Sieg rebuts.

He's right.

"No means no. Associating with citizens will have a negative impact on this kingdom!" The King says.

What the heck is he saying?! His own mother was an ordinary citizen, wasn't she? How can he say that?

Ulrich gently places a hand on the King's shoulder, and says, "If you'll allow me to speak, Your Highness? I said that Prince Sieg must stay in Nobel Michel. And that he should remain there for the sake of the kingdom."

"Yes. It's exactly as you predicted." The King says.

"What? Predicted?" Sieg says; the word catches my attention, too. "You made sure I didn't receive any information about the commemoration ceremony…"

"This is all for the sake of the nation." The King says.

"Your Highness…" Sieg begins.

"Normally, I would strip you of your title and expel you from the royal family. But I'm giving you a chance," The King says, before glaring at me with bloodshot eyes. "Cut all ties with this girl at once! Swear to me that you will never see her again!"

What?! Now I'm worried. How can he put the blame on me when that cockroach is the one causing all of this trouble?

I look at Prince Sieg, who's biting his lip.

"Ngh…" Sieg mutters. "She's irreplaceable to me… I cannot do that."

"Are you disobeying an order from your King?" The King inquires.

Sieg clenches his fists, and his profile is definitely sad as he gives his own father a grim gaze. This is bad. But I know what I have to do.

"Sieg…" I begin.

I don't want to leave him, and I know the feeling is mutual, but if he were to be expelled from the royal family because of me, I'd never be able to forgive myself.

I turn to Sieg with a smile and then I say, "Sieg. I'm going to be okay. Please stay a member of House Lieben. You've got things to do as a prince. I want you to fulfill those responsibilities. If you were disowned all because of me, I'd never live with myself."

"Carly… But I…" Sieg begins to protest.

"It's going to be fine," I say, then turn back to the King, and bow. "Well… Excuse me."

* * *

><p><strong>I decide to back off and break things with Sieg. But when Sieg insists otherwise, I'm caught between a rock and a hard place, and Sieg leaves the castle. <strong>


	10. Chapter 10

**Sieg's told to cut ties with me or be stripped of his royal status! I make a hard choice, but as soon as Sieg makes his, we're stuck trying to figure out how to overthrow Ulrich from the outside. But when an old woman gives us some info, we're getting on the right track.**

* * *

><p>"Normally, I would strip you of your title and expel you from the royal family. But I'm giving you a chance," The King says, before glaring at me with bloodshot eyes. "Cut all ties with this girl at once! Swear to me that you will never see her again!"<p>

What?! Now I'm worried. How can he put the blame on me when that cockroach is the one causing all of this trouble?

I look at Prince Sieg, who's biting his lip.

"Ngh…" Sieg mutters. "She's irreplaceable to me… I cannot do that."

"Are you disobeying an order from your King?" The King inquires.

Sieg clenches his fists, and his profile is definitely sad as he gives his own father a grim gaze. This is bad. But I know what I have to do.

"Sieg…" I begin.

I don't want to leave him, and I know the feeling is mutual, but if he were to be expelled from the royal family because of me, I'd never be able to forgive myself.

I turn to Sieg with a smile and then I say, "Sieg. I'm going to be okay. Please stay a member of House Lieben. You've got things to do as a prince. I want you to fulfill those responsibilities. If you were disowned all because of me, I'd never live with myself."

"Carly… But I…" Sieg begins to protest.

"It's going to be fine," I say, then turn back to the King, and bow. "Well… Excuse me."

However, Sieg grabs my arm and pulls me back.

"Stop." Sieg tells me.

"Sieg…" I begin to argue, but…

"I won't let you go again." Sieg murmurs in my ear.

"Hold it…" I try to say, but…

"Just be quiet." Sieg says, before gripping my hand tightly.

He turns to the King, and now he's going to be like a teen in his rebel phase.

"Your Highness, if by choosing her, I'm expelled from the royal family, then so be it." Sieg declares.

What is he doing?!

"Sieg… you…" The King begins.

"Hahaha… what a foolish choice." Ulrich chuckles.

Sieg gives him a defiant smile and says, "Foolish…? Don't make me laugh. Now I know what's true and what's important."

"You're going to be defiant to the bitter end… You are banished from this castle!" The King declares.

Prince Sieg goes down the hall at a quick pace, still holding on to my hand.

"Sieg, you have to go back! If you go back now, you'd be able to…" I protest.

"It's fine like this." Sieg says.

"How can it be fine?!" I say. "Something's not right with the king! If you don't do something, you'll be doing exactly what Ulrich wants!"

"I know that. That's why I'm doing this." Sieg says to me.

"Say what?" I ask. Now I get it! He's going to play into Ulrich's hands to end up stopping him.

"Sieg!" We hear Hans shout as he comes over to us.

"Hans." Sieg says. We turn and find Hans coming after us, and he's pretty frantic.

"Sieg… do you really mean to leave?" Hans asks us.

"Yeah." Sieg says.

Hans hesitates to speak.

"Don't look like that. It's fine with me. Thanks for everything." Sieg says to Hans.

"No, I'm coming with you." Hans says.

"You're employed by the royal family. You stay here and continue your work." Sieg says.

"Sieg…" Hans states. "You have an idea, right?"

I see a knowing eye in Hans' expression. That's something I've never seen before.

"You really know me, Hans." Sieg says.

"Of course I do… I serve you every day." Hans says.

What a guy… Sieg chuckles, and then he places a hand on Hans' shoulder, and Sieg whispers in his ear, "I want you to stay here and report everything that happens. I'll gather information from outside."

"Understood." Hans says.

"I'm counting on you." Sieg says, in reply.

"Just try not to put yourself in danger." Hans tells us.

"Don't worry. If anything happened to me, I wouldn't be able to keep my promise to Carly." Sieg says.

I blush in response.

"R-Right…!" Hans says.

Okay, now I'm both embarrassed and a little worried.

"Let's get going." Sieg says to me.

"Right." I say.

"Please be careful, both of you." Hans says.

We're soon in the town, and Sieg is in clothing that doesn't get him recognized.

"Well, now what, Sieg?" I ask him.

"First, we need to find somewhere to lay low in town." Sieg tells me.

"That sounds like a good idea." I say.

"Right. This place will do." Sieg says, pointing to a door to a restaurant. I see that there's a notice stuck to the door.

"It says 'Now hiring for live-in help'…" I say.

"That ensures us both food and board, killing two birds with one stone." Sieg says.

"You want to work here?" I ask, a little surprised.

"I'm confident in my cooking skills. Is there a problem?" Sieg asks me.

"Are you sure you're okay with this?" I ask.

"Yeah. It's the perfect place for me to hide." Sieg says to me.

We go and talk to the landlady about the job, with the intention of her hiring the both of us.

"Huh? Both of you?" She asks. "Unfortunately, I'm only looking to hire one person."

"Can't we change your mind about that?" Sieg asks.

"I'm afraid not… You're a handsome lad, and I'd really love to have you work here, but…" The landlady says, but she then stares at Sieg before her eyes go wide. "I can't believe this… Are you… Prince Sieg…?!"

"Eep!" I say, before giving her a hand gesture to get her to keep her mouth shut.

Seriously?! Busted already?! What else is going to happen to us?

"Please keep that on the down-low." I say.

"Okay, I get it! I won't say anything," The Landlady says to us, lowering her voice; her eyes are still alight with excitement. "This is so thrilling! I'm a huge fan of yours, Prince Sieg!"

"Thank you." Sieg says.

"But what on Earth is a prince doing here…?" She asks.

"It's… an unusual situation." Sieg says.

"Could it be an elopement… or a secret love affair?" The landlady asks us.

"Yeah, you could put it like that." Sieg replies.

"Sieg?!" I ask, in surprise.

"What? It's the truth." Sieg says.

Okay, he's right, that's not _completely_ off-target, but still…

"Alright, leave it to me! I'll hide the two of you. You can both stay in the live-in room." The landlady says.

That's a relief.

After I take a bath, I sit down at the table in our room.

"Talk about the best luck we've got. That was convenient that the landlady was such a big fan of yours." I say.

"I guess I have a load of good karma." Sieg says.

I hesitate to reply. The landlady isn't _really_ in the know of what's happening.

"What's that look for?" Sieg asks me.

"It's nothing… Let me get you some tea." I say, before standing up.

"Thanks." Sieg says.

I hear the sound of pouring water echo through the room, and at the same time, I feel a wave of sadness hit me.

"Sieg?" I ask.

"What?" Sieg inquires to me.

"Are you sure about this? Are you really okay with leaving the castle?" I ask him.

"I didn't expect that from you." Sieg says to me.

"What are you talking about?" I inquire.

"You've been so optimistic up until now. Are you anxious?" Sieg asks me.

"I'm more worried about you than I am anxious. You've lost your life as a prince, all because of me…" I say.

"I have no regrets. I was expelled from the castle, but I still have my pride as a royal. I love this kingdom more than anyone, and I'm concerned about its future. No matter where I am or how I'm living, I was still brought up as a member of the royal family." Sieg says to me.

"Oh, Sieg…" I reply, feeling touched.

"I've realized that there are things I can do whether or not I have the title. It's because I met you…" Sieg says to me, and I feel the determination in his calm, but direct gaze. "I've stopped moaning about how unnecessary I am, or about how I'm just a title. You taught me that I have my own value as a person. I've found my strength in you."

"Sieg…" I say, feeling my heart beat fast.

"That's why I want to face up to them as my own man." Sieg informs me.

"Don't worry; I'll help," I tell him. "I want to be by your side through this chaos."

"I thought you'd say that." Sieg says.

We give each other a big smile and I feel my heart brimming over with love for him.

"Well, we should get to bed." Sieg says.

"You're right about that." I say.

Sieg climbs into bed as though it's been decided. I mentally face-palm myself, because it's not only a one-person room, but it has one bed.

"Come on, get in." Sieg says, beckoning me to sleep with him.

I climb into bed, and lie with my back to Sieg.

"Are you nervous?" Sieg asks me.

"Of course I am." I say.

He gives a snort of laughter and then he sits up before looking at me.

"Everything was left up in the air after the commotion on the train… Shall we continue where we left off?" Sieg asks me.

"U-Um…?!" I begin, a bit flustered.

Sieg strokes my cheek tenderly like he was doing earlier, and now my heart swells with anxiety. Crud, I'm not ready.

I squeeze my eyes shut, but I fail to feel his lips touch mine. What the…?

"Just kidding. I won't do anything until this has all been resolved." Sieg says to me.

"Okay…" I say, but then Sieg lays his head on my shoulder.

"But for now, can we at least do this?" He asks me, and then his arms take me in from behind.

My heart begins pounding at the sensation of his strong arms and his head against me. It's very comforting and then I close my eyes, as the pleasant sensation swirls around.

The net day, I'm working in the restaurant, and I'm on desserts, as always. Meanwhile, Sieg is investigating Ulrich outside.

"Carly, have you finished the creme brulee?" The landlady asks.

"I sure have!" I say with a big smile.

"You can tell this is the work of a true pastry chef! Our regular customers are already raving about your desserts." The landlady tells us.

"Really?" I ask.

The landlady changes the subject and asks, "Is it really okay for you to work for free?"

"Yes, it's thanks for hiding us." I say.

I hope that Sieg hasn't gotten himself into any scrapes. I warned him not to go outside, but he didn't listen to me. The customers can at least give us information. I just need to keep doing what I can.

"Well, you can east as much as you like here." The Landlady asks me.

"Thanks very much." I say with a big smile.

"I'm home." Sieg says, as he comes into the live-in room.

"Hey, Sieg. You look tuckered out…" I say.

"Nah, you're the one who's been working all day. You must be more tired." Sieg says to me.

"Not even close… But that aside, did you manage to find anything?" I ask.

"I secretly met with an old acquaintance of mine from the aristocracy. It seems like Ulrich hasn't always been a part of the political world. He appeared from nowhere and quickly became one of the King's aides." Sieg explains to me.

"People find that strange, don't they?" I ask.

"There seem to be, but that man has a way of controlling people. It seems like all his detractors are charmed over to his side with the work of his 'prophecies'." Sieg explains.

"Mind expanding on that?" I ask.

"Yes. The predictions he makes seem to come true," Sieg says to me. "People are wondering whether Ulrich has some kind of special power. Seems like they really believe it."

"Seriously? I don't think that power really exists." I say in response.

"You're right about that. But someone with a keen perception can see through people's personalities and motives pretty easily. But when it's cloaked in mysterious circumstances one can be convinced that it's some kind of divine prophecy." Sieg says.

"I guess after listening to Ulrich's predictions and seeing them come true, the King was probably convinced, too." I say.

"That's right. He was strangely vacant and irate." Sieg says.

"The King also kept repeating that it was for the nation's sake." I say, beginning to pace around.

"No doubt that's what Ulrich has been telling him. He's being brainwashed…" Sieg says to me.

I draw in breath as I realize the gravity of the situation.

"Anything I say to the King right now is pointless." Sieg says to me.

"Like leeches on a corpse. In that case, we're going to have to get through to your father by taking Ulrich out of the picture from the outside." I say, crossing my arms.

"I'll find out exactly what he's plotting and destroy his scheme. Then I can open the King's eyes to his brainwashing, and return the kingdom to normal. And then I'll make him accept you, too." Sieg says to me.

The days come and go and both Sieg and I are looking around to find information on Ulrich and what he's up to.

"Here's your crème brulee, sir." I say, giving a customer a crème brulee dish.

"Oh, thank you. I'm addicted to your desserts!" The client says.

"Thanks; it really makes me happy to hear that." I say.

"Oh, right. If you don't mind, I'd like to ask a favor of you." The customer asks me.

"What's the favor?" I ask with a smile.

"Well, an old friend of mine is living nearby. She's very old, nearly a hundred, and she's lost her appetite lately…" He explains.

"Sheesh… I'm sorry to hear that's what's going on." I say, sadly.

"But I'm sure she'd want to eat your desserts. She loves sweet things. I was wondering if you could make something nutritional for her?" He asks me.

"I'll conjure something up." I say with a smile.

"You made a fruit cake?" Sieg says to me, as he comes back from his day.

"I sure did." I said.

"It looks great." He says, as he's looking at the cake on the table.

"It's a gift," I explain. "I set aside a slice for you over there."

"A present?" Sieg asks me.

I give him the slice of cake I set aside and then I tell him about the customer's request.

"And you're going to deliver it yourself?" Sieg asks me.

"Yeah; since it's so close, I think it'd be okay." I say.

"… Then I'll go with you." Sieg tells me.

"Are you sure?" I ask.

"I told you there's no way I can let you wander around by yourself. Knowing you, you'd probably get lost." Sieg says to me.

He's worried about me.

"Thanks." I say to him.

The next day, Sieg and I go to the old woman's house and we go incognito for safety reasons. Needless to say, the old lady was certainly happy to receive it.

"Oh my, I'm so happy you came all the way here to bring me this!" The old woman says to us. "I don't have many young visitors these days. Would you like some tea?"

"Oh, please, don't go to any trouble." I say.

"Not at all, I'd love it if you'd stay and chat." She says.

"Well, if you insist." Sieg says; he's in disguise for obvious reasons.

After she makes the tea, the old woman has us sitting on the sofa.

"Ooh, you two lovely young things are just the perfect couple, hehe." She says, teasing us.

That word rungs through my head; that isn't out of the question, but I look at Sieg in embarrassment. However, he's staring at the TV.

On the screen, I can see the King chairing a conference with that rodent, Ulrich, standing behind him like a shadow.

"Ulrich…" I mutter, pretty upset.

"Oh, yes, that Ulrich fellow… He's always shown next to the King these days. And to think someone from the Bosch family would reappear in politics." The old woman says.

This catches my attention; Sieg and I both look at her abruptly. This could be a clue!

"Bosch…?" I ask; I've never heard that name.

"You know who Ulrich is?" Sieg asks.

"No… It's just with that silver hair he must be one of the Bosch descendants. Everyone from the Bosch family has that silver hair." She explains.

"Who is the Bosch family?" Sieg asks her.

"A very long time ago… when I was a little girl, the Boschs were a noble family who held a lot of power. But there was some dispute, and the King exiled them." The old woman says.

"Exiled by the King…" Sieg says.

This could be one of the reasons Ulrich is doing this, but we don't know for sure.

"Where are they, now?" I ask.

"They were driven off to some poor area near the border of Nerwan. I think it was a village named S… Swili." The old woman tells us.

"Swili…" Sieg repeats.

He kneels down to the old lady and says, "Thank you so much for that story."

"Not at all! You came come to me anytime you want to hear stories about the past." She says to us.

Once it's all said and done, Sieg and I make our way back to the restaurant.

"Talk about luck," I say with a smile. "I'm surprised we got such important information on that cockroach from that old woman."

"It's all thanks to you. You were kind enough to deliver her your cake. And we ended up getting some completely unexpected information." Sieg says to me.

"I don't think it was my doing… But this is quite a twist: he's a descendent from an exiled noble family…" I say, running the information through.

"Since it happened so long ago, only an older generation would know about it… I still don't know enough about this country…" Sieg says, chewing his lip with regret. "Carly."

"What's up?" I ask.

"I'm going to the village of Swili… to Ulrich's hometown." Sieg says to me.

* * *

><p><strong>Now we're getting somewhere with this! Sieg and I headed to Swili to get more info on Ulrich, but since we're going into the territory of an old foe of Sieg's family, we're king to be prepared for the worst.<strong>


	11. Chapter 11

**Sieg and I are heading off to Swili, and Hayden and Oliver stop by to help us out. But when we learn that we don't have anything to fear from the rest of the Bosch family and learn more about Ulrich's past, then we're more than ready to try and stop him! But when Sieg tries to get me to stay behind at our hiding place, I insist on coming along! But what now?**

* * *

><p>Once it's all said and done, Sieg and I make our way back to the restaurant.<p>

"Talk about luck," I say with a smile. "I'm surprised we got such important information on that cockroach from that old woman."

"It's all thanks to you. You were kind enough to deliver her your cake. And we ended up getting some completely unexpected information." Sieg says to me.

"I don't think it was my doing… But this is quite a twist: he's a descendent from an exiled noble family…" I say, running the information through.

"Since it happened so long ago, only an older generation would know about it… I still don't know enough about this country…" Sieg says, chewing his lip with regret. "Carly."

"What's up?" I ask.

"I'm going to the village of Swili… to Ulrich's hometown." Sieg says to me.

The next day, Sieg and I are making our preparations to travel to Swili.

"Seems like it's quite a remote place. Pack accordingly." Sieg says.

"Ten-four!" I say, packing some food and water.

However, we're interrupted by a knock at the door; is it the landlady?

"Who is it?" Sieg says.

"Sieg? It's me." Someone says; that voice is familiar…

The door swings open and the most unexpected people are behind the door.

"Hayden? Oliver?" I ask, in surprise.

"What are you doing here…?" Sieg asks.

"Ooh, a secret vacation, how romantic!" Oliver says, trying to lighten the mood.

"We were worried, so we came to check up on you. Hans told us where to find you." Hayden explains.

"I see…" Sieg says.

"The others are worried, too." Oliver says.

"Sorry to worry you, and for ditching my Expo work." Sieg says.

"It's fine; you need to focus on what's going on here." Hayden says.

"It's all very strange. The citizens have no clue that their princes was expelled from the castle." Oliver says.

"The town's packed with people for tomorrow's commemoration ceremony," Hayden says. "How ironic."

We can all see the DresVan national glad flying in the streets from the window. Prince Hayen is staring out at it in frustration.

"By the way, why are you two packing?" Oliver asks.

"We…" Sieg begins, and then he fills Oliver and Hayden in on what's been happening.

"So you're going to this Ulrich guy's hometown?" Hayden asks.

"But this family must resent the Lieben family. Won't it be dangerous?" Oliver inquires; he has a point.

"Will you take a guard?" Hayden asks.

"Now, we'll be fine. We want to draw as little attention as possible." Sieg says.

"Then take the car we've been using. It's a regular car," Hayden says. "It'll at least be helpful for you to have a driver."

"Yeah, he's right," Oliver says. "You've got Carly with you too, remember?"

"Let us do that much for you." Hayden requests.

"Thanks." Sieg says.

We're riding to Swili in the car, and then I decide to speak up.

"Hayden and Oliver were a big help." I say.

"Yeah, we owe them." Sieg says.

"They're true-blue friends; they came out all the way here for you." I say.

"Yeah, I've known the two of them, and Kuon since I was a child." Sieg says.

"So you grew up together as heirs to the thrones of your nations." I say

"Yeah. I don't want to do anything that would upset them." Sieg says to me.

"We're going to learn something by going to Swili; no doubt about it." I say.

"I agree," Sieg tells me, before putting an arm around my shoulders. "It'll be a long drive. You should rest."

"Okay." I say, and then I end up nodding off.

* * *

><p>We soon make it…<p>

"Sieg… is this Swili?" I ask.

"Yeah, should be…" Sieg replies, looking at the map.

This is more of a small settlement than it is a village. All I see are some scattered houses.

"This is where Ulrich was born?" I ask. It doesn't seem like the type of place to be the birthplaces of such a powerful aide to the King.

"Sieg, try to stay out of sight. I'll check out the surroundings." I say.

"Who are you?" Someone says.

I turn around to see a little boy with silver hair. Yep, silver hair; definitely a Bosch trait.

"Where did you come from?" He asks me.

"Um…" I say, trying not to give away our mission. However, he gives me an innocent smile.

"Hey, what's going on? Is someone there?" I hear someone else ask.

"Grandpa, it's a visitor." The little boy calls back.

The man he was talking to is approaching us, and his hair is silver, as well.

"Are you… Prince Sieg?" He asks.

I slap myself in the face; busted right from the get-go already?! And considering the history between house Bosch and house Lieben, who knows what we're in for?!

"Well, it's the highest honor for us to welcome a prince out here," The older man says. "What could possibly bring a noble person such as yourself to a place like this?"

Okay… I didn't see that coming. He's actually being quite respectful. What's this about?

I can tell Sieg's thrown for a loop, too, and he says, "We came to ask about Ulrich."

"Ulrich…?" The man asks, while his eyes go wide.

He brings us into the house he lives in and then he introduces himself, "My name is Uwe. I'm as close as Ulrich has to a father."

The thought of coming into the same house as Ulrich's family is a little uncomfortable.

"I had no idea that Ulrich had become the King's aide. We don't have a television here, so news is slow to reach us." Uwe explains.

"Ulrich is using his position to plan something; something that could turn this kingdom upside down. We came to investigate this conspiracy." Sieg explains.

Uwe looks shocked for a moment, but then he sighs heavily.

"I see, so that's what Ulrich is doing… But, I can see why. That boy hates the royal family." Uwe explains.

"Isn't this true for the whole family?" Sieg asks.

Sieg, just because someone belongs to a particular group of people doesn't mean they think the same way.

"No, not at all! Only Ulrich." Uwe says.

"But the Bosch family was exiled here by the Lieben family, weren't they?" I ask.

"That's true, and my ancestors hated them for it. But it was those very ancestors who started the dispute in the first place that led up to the expulsion. We understand that fully. So, we don't have any grudges against the Lieben family, and we just continue eking out a living." Uwe states.

That's actually quite relieving to hear. When someone understands that it is their own fault for something that led to severe consequences that means they have the maturity to live out normally.

"So why does Ulrich still hate the royal family?" Sieg inquires.

"I think he has a superiority complex," Uwe says. "He can't stand the fact that he's more talented and comes from noble lineage, and yet is forced to live a life below ordinary. Especially since King Joshua came to power. His kingdom has been peaceful and prosperous, and yet our family continues to live in poverty."

That explains quite a bit. Now that I remember it, I heard Ulrich singing when I was kidnapped. The lyrics said something about his family being in exile and being isolated this way. So this is what he was talking about…

"And he also wasn't pleased that the King welcomed an ordinary woman into the royal family. I heard him complain about how he was of noble blood, yet so far from the royal family. When he was young, the knowledge that he was a descendent of nobility was always at the forefront of his mind." Uwe says.

I get it: this is why he's manipulating the King as if he's a marionette. So he can push me away from Sieg.

Sieg faces Uwe, and says, "Could you tell us what Ulrich might be thinking that that he's the King's aide? I heard what he's planning is… 'Destruction'."

"Destruction…? He used to say that idiots were running the country and that he'd show them how it's done. And that when he did, it would be something public and dramatic." Uwe states.

"Public and dramatic…" Sieg says.

"The commemoration ceremony tomorrow!" I say, in realization.

"Yeah, the ceremony is the perfect stage for him." Sieg says.

"That explains when he wanted you to stay in Nobel Michel." I say.

"Carly, let's get back to town." Sieg says.

"Say no more!" I say. "Thanks for your help, Uwe."

"Wait!" Uwe says.

"What's the matter?" Sieg asks.

"Ulrich was always a good boy," Uwe says, as he's looking out the window, sadly, watching the little boy playing. "He lost his parents early… and he despised this sorry existence. It left a dark stain upon him."

"Is that supposed to be an excuse for what he's doing?" Sieg asks.

"No, of course not. It's just… Prince Sieg, you have to stop him. Please…" Uwe says.

We soon head back to the car, but…

"Huh? You're leaving already?" The little boy asks us.

"We are." I say, sadly.

"Come back again and we'll play together." The young boy says.

His innocent smile against the backdrop of their lives is stuck with me.

Sieg is mulling over this information, and he's silent on the way back. I really wish I knew what he was thinking… So, I take his hand into mine for comfort.

He remains silent, but he squeezes my hand back, and I look at him with worry in my eyes.

However, his cellphone ringing interrupts us. He picks it up.

"Hello? Oh, Hans," Sieg says; Hans is calling? "I see. Understood. Okay, see you."

"What was that?" I ask.

"There's something he can't discuss over the phone. He's gonna tell me in person." Sieg says.

"Serious?" I ask.

"Maybe something's happened at the castle." Sieg says.

We soon make it back to the employee room, and Hans meets up with us there some time later.

"Sieg! Miss Carly!" Hans shouts, as he rushes into the room. "Sieg, you've lost weight…"

Hans is _definitely_ getting emotional again.

"So what have you found out, Hans?" Sieg asks.

"Yes, Ulrich has made a move." Hans says.

"What do you mean?" Sieg asks Hans; I can understand how vague that is.

"I spotted him slipping out of the castle in the middle of the night. I followed him," Hans began. "He was talking with a dangerous-looking man."

"Did you hear what they were saying?" Sieg asks.

"Yes. 'The preparations are complete'… But I couldn't get close enough to hear the details." Hans admits.

"No, you did well," Sieg says. "The preparations are complete…?"

"Sieg, does that mean what I think it does?" I ask.

"Yeah, it must be tomorrow." Sieg says.

"Do you think he's going to try something at tomorrow's commemoration ceremony?" Hans asked.

"It's very likely." Sieg says in reply.

"Actually, there's a rumor at the castle that at tomorrow's ceremony Ulrich's appointment as the next Chief Cabinet Secretary will be announced," Hans says. "If that goes ahead, then Ulrich will gain even more political power."

"Chief Cabinet Secretary…" Sieg begins.

"I'm assuming that's trouble?" I say aloud.

"Yes, it is," Sieg says to me. "That's almost the same amount of political power as the King! We have to stop him, no matter what…"

Sieg starts looking off into the distance, and he's brooding. I'm so worried about him.

That night, I'm sleeping in the bed, but some kind of noise wakes me up. I can see it's still dark out, and I don't feel Sieg's body head beside me. I sit up and I see Sieg moving about the bedroom.

"Sieg?" I say, tiredly.

"Sorry for waking you." Sieg says to me.

"What are you doing?" I ask him.

"I'm going out. You stay here and sleep." Sieg tells me.

"Where are you going at this hour?" I ask.

"To the castle; I'll sneak in before it gets light." Sieg informs me.

"Excuse me?!" I ask.

"You stay here." Sieg asks me.

"Why are you leaving me out of it this time? I'll go with you." I say, getting out of the bed.

"This is trespassing. If you were caught, you'd be imprisoned. I can't drag you any further into this." Sieg says to me.

"Now hold on…" I begin.

"I have to stop Ulrich's plan even if it means I have to break the law," Sieg says. "But… I don't want you to become a criminal. That's why I want you to trust me and wait here."

He gives me a really heartbreaking look.

"If I'm captured, Hans will come get you. Don't worry. Then you can go back to Nobel Michel and work at that cake store. And fulfill your dream of someday owning your own store." Sieg says to me.

"No… I can't just sit idly by!" I say. "I trust you and I know you can do this, but… I can't just leave you behind!"

Forget the cake store! I want to be there for Sieg!

"Please understand, Carly." Sieg insists.

I get that he cares about me, but sheesh…

"You're the one who doesn't understand! I want to stay by your side and help you out! I don't just want you to protect me…" I say.

_~Sieg's POV~_

I try appealing to Carly, but the personality traits of hers, being so stubborn, are what's making my heart pound.

"Let me come with you!" She begs.

"Carly…" I say, but she's about to cry. This is why I fell in love with her. "I'm no match for you." I tell her.

I bring my face to hers and give her a kiss on the forehead; I feel her face heating up, too.

"What's with that reaction? Disappointed?" I ask; I'm anxious to see her reaction when I give her a smooch on her lips. "Did you want me to kiss you somewhere else?"

"H-Heck no!" She stammers.

"Your face is redder than an apple. I think I hit the nail on the head." I tease her.

"You're the one who was teasing me," She says. "You said you weren't going to do anything until all of this was resolved, didn't you?"

"Yeah, now that you mention it, I did say that," I say, giving her a soft stroke on her cheek. "I'm so happy I met you."

"Sieg…" She says.

There's music in the air and then she begins to sing…

_~End of Sieg's POV~_

_"In a perfect world… One we've never known… We would never need to face the world alone…" _I sing, taking Sieg's hand into mine. _"They can have the world… We'll create our own… I may not be brave, or strong, or smart, but somewhere deep inside my heart, I know… Love will find a way…"_

I put my hands on his chest and sing, _"Anywhere I go… I'm home… if you are there beside me, like dark… Turning into day… Somehow, we'll come through… Now that I've found you… Love will find a way."_

I'm about to cry, when something unexpected happens: Sieg also begins singing.

_"I am not afraid… Yet I realize… Love is never wrong… And so it never dies," _He sings to me, as he puts his hands on my face. _"There's a perfect world shinning in your eyes…"_

This time, we end up in a duet, and we both end up singing, _"If only the King could feel it, too; the happiness I feel with you, they'd know… Love will find a way. Anywhere we go, we're home…"_

We start holding hands and slowly moving around the room, about to get ready for our little trip, but we keep singing, _"If we are there together. Like dark turning into day. Somehow we'll come through, now that I've found you… Love will find a way… I know love with find a way." _

"Well, I suppose you've made up your mind." Sieg says to me.

"Of course I have, Sieg." I tell him, as I take his hand.

We soon leave the house in a quick, quiet manner, and we slip out into the darkness.

"Carly, this way." Sieg says, as he and I are silently running through the streets, planning our break-in of the castle.

After what seemed like half an hour, we're in front of the castle.

"We'll go around the back." Sieg says to me, as he leads me to a wall with a rope ladder hanging down the side.

Since it's such a high wall, I'm worried how we're going to be able to climb all the way up. I give Sieg a look and he also seems to be frowning up at the ladder.

"I'll head up, first." I say, and then take hold of one of the rungs.

"Why?" Sieg asks.

"You look worried." I say to him.

"No, that's not is… It's just… No, it's nothing…" Sieg tells me.

He does this a lot… About to say something and then he cuts it off.

"You go first. I'll be behind you in case you get into trouble." Sieg says.

"Yes, sir!" I say with enthusiasm, while trying to keep quiet.

While I'm scared, I climb the ladder one rung at a time and then when we get to the top, I see Hans waving at us from the other side of the wall. Did he know we were coming?

"Miss Carly, jump!" Hans says. "I'll catch you."

"Jump? From here?" I ask.

This is going to be weird, but here it goes…

"Miss Carly. Someone will come if you don't hurry." Hans says.

"Here goes nothing…" I say, and then I jump, keeping my mouth shut; I can't scream in this situation.

I end up landing on Hans and he's groaning in pain. What was I thinking?!

"Hans… You okay?" I nervously ask.

"Yes, I'm alright. Are you?" Hans asks me.

"I'm fine, but I'm more worried about you; you broke my fall…" I say, as I sweat drop.

"So it seems." Hans says.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Sieg says from behind me; he grabs my shoulders and pulls me up, and I see Sieg has the rope ladder around his arm.

"Hans caught me…" I said.

"I know that, but get off him! And you, Hans!" Sieg says, as both Hans and I end up standing up.

"S-Sorry…" Hans says, a little flustered.

"Sieg, now's not the time…" I say.

However, a flash of light appears in the distance and a flashlight beam turns on us; now I'm scared.

"Hey, who's there?!" A guard says.

"I-It's me. Hans!" Hans says, as he stands up, showing himself.

"Oh, Hans? But what are you doing out here?" The guard asks.

"I was asked to patrol, too. Nothing out of the ordinary here." Hans says.

"So they even have you doing the rounds now too. Things are tough for us with the ceremony coming up." The guard says.

"Yeah… shall we check over there?" Hans asks, as he lead the guard away from us.

"That was too close for comfort…" I say, as Sieg and I hide elsewhere. "Hans certainly saved our butts back there."

"Yeah, the guard is heavier than I expected." Sieg told me.

We look around grounds through the bushes and we see a number of flashlight beams through the dark. I'm a little tensed up.

"Let's stay here for a bit," Sieg tells me. "It's best to wait for Hans' signal."

"Yes." I say.

We soon hear rustling in the bushes and I get nervous. I hear it coming from the nearby bushes and then our guard is up.

"Meow…"

I see a tiny, white kitten creep out of the bush.

"Oh, phew, just a cat; nothing to get excited about. Sheesh, that scared me, Sieg…" I say, then turn around to see him moving to hide behind me.

He seems a little jumpy. It just occurred to me that he asked about whether or not someone had a cat a while back when he once took me to that wine-tasting event a while ago. Could he…?

"Sieg… Don't tell me… You're scared of cats?" I say, and then pet the cat a bit. "They're just so cute…"

It closes its eyes in bliss as I rub my hand on it.

"What's cute about it?" Sieg asks. "Cats are nasty! They act nice and then turn on you."

"Where'd you get _that_ idea?" I inquire.

"That's what my grandfather taught me." Sieg informs me.

"King Joshua?" I ask him.

"Yeah. My grandmother liked cats. There was one in the gardens she tried to make me pet. But as soon as I got close, it went for me." Sieg explains.

"Sheesh… No wonder." I say, shuddering.

"That's when I realized that my grandfather was right." Sieg says.

I giggle a bit, but I try to keep my voice down.

"D-Don't laugh." Sieg says, and then looks away in embarrassment.

"Did you play here in the garden as a child?" I ask.

"Yeah, since I couldn't freely leave the castle grounds." Sieg asks.

Comes with the territory, I guess.

"Really?" I ask.

"When I didn't feel like studying, I'd hide myself in these bushes and play with my toys." Sieg says to me.

"So you were a bit of a rebel at times?" I ask with a giggle.

"Usually I was a studious kid, but yeah, sometimes," Sieg says. "When I played hide and seek, I would sometimes get scolded for falling asleep where I was hiding."

"Must have been a lot of fun; looks like you have a lot of memories of this place." I say.

"Yeah… I never thought I'd end up hiding here under these kind of circumstances… It's laughable… Until recently this was my castle…" Sieg says, while looking up at the sky with a sad smile.

I guess it really does hurt to be exiled by his own father. I take his hand.

"I can imagine what you're thinking right now." Sieg says to me.

"Er…" I begin, feeling a little anxious.

"That sometimes I should just let you comfort me." Sieg says, as he comes closer and leans against my shoulder. I feel his breath tickling my neck.

"Sieg…" I begin.

"Mind if I stay like this for a bit?" He asks me.

"No problem." I tell him.

"You're so warm…" Sieg says to me.

"I could say the same about you…" I tell him; we begin sharing our body heat, and his warmth comforts me, and unease is gone.

However, as my eyes are about to close…

"Sieg, Miss Carly…" Hans says, appearing with a paper bag.

"Oh…" I say, and then quickly pull away from Sieg.

"E-Excuse me." Hans says.

"No, it's okay. What's the bag about?" Sieg asks him.

"I'm sorry, but would you mind changing into the staff uniform? It'll be easier to get into the castle that way." Hans requests.

"Alright. Carly, you too." Sieg says to me.

"I'm on it; thing is…" I say, looking at the uniform.

"What? You never seen a maid's uniform before?" Sieg asks me.

"Not the issue…" I begin. This thing is frilly; really embarrassing. This isn't the time to be a picky pastry chef.

"Hurry up. Put it on and show me." Sieg says.

"Pardon?" I ask. Don't tell me…

"It'll be much sexier than your pastry chef outfit." Sieg says to me.

"Now's not the time for that, Sieg…" I mutter.

"I was just trying to lighten the mood." Sieg says.

"Miss Carly, hurry before someone comes!" Hans says.

"I'll change over there." I say, then move away from the men to start changing into my uniform, when…

"Do it with this." I hear someone say.

"Yes, sir, understood…"

Crud, Ulrich?! I then take a peek out from behind the bushes, and I see Ulrich handing over what looks like a bag over to a really large man.

I don't know what it is, but I know it's bad. My skin is crawling. I lean forward, albeit I'm not thinking at the time, and then I end up shaking the bush because I lost my balance.

"Is someone there?!" Ulrich shouts.

I know just what to do!

"Meow!" I say, trying to be as realistic as possible.

"Oh, a cat… Ulrich says.

That's a relief…

"Hey, go and check the bushes, just in case." Ulrich says.

The larger man replies with, "Yes sir."

Oh, crud! As the footsteps come closer, I'm about to panic, but…

Sieg comes out of the bushes and says, "Hey, over here."

I'm about to shout out, but Hans covers my mouth.

"Well well, it's Prince Sieg. Although, it's just Sieg now, isn't it?" Ulrich begins. "I didn't expect to see you here… What business could you have here, after being expelled from the royal family? Skulking around in the bushes… Benno, check the bushes, there might be another one in there. A girl."

"Yes, sir." The man, now identified as Benno, starts towards my spot.

Oh, man, he's on to me!

"Ulrich, don't you also understand the pain of being exiled by the royal family? I came here today to talk to you about that, man to man." Sieg says to Ulrich; I keep my mouth shut.

I see Ulrich's eyes glint sharply; I guess that hit a nerve.

"Benno, seize this man!" Ulrich shouts.

Benno tries to grab Sieg's arm, but SIeg dodges it nimbly. I want to be able to breathe, but I really can't, not in this situation, at least.

Sieg glances in my direction for a second, and then he dashes off into the gardens.

"After him! Don't let him get away!" Ulrich shouts.

"Yes, sir." Benno replies and does such.

Once the footsteps stop, Hans removes his hand from my mouth, and I get worried.

"We gotta go and help Sieg!" I say, about to go after him.

"Miss Carly, please calm down." Hans says to me.

"But what will that cockroach do if he gets Sieg?!" I ask, tears in my eyes.

"Sieg offered himself up to save you," Hans says. "Don't let that be in vain."

I then get the point and relax a bit.

"Now, please hurry up and change," Hans says. "I'll take you somewhere you can hide."

* * *

><p>I change clothes and then I follow Hans through the castle corridors; I keep my head down to avoid being recognized.<p>

"Keep your head down and walk quickly." Hans tells me, and I do as told.

One of the staff members greets Hans with, "Good morning, Hans. You're up early, as usual."

"Yes." Hans says.

"Oh? Is this a new maid?" The staff member asks, looking to me.

"Yes, she is. She'll be working at the ceremony today." Hans says.

"Good morning." I say.

"Nice to meet you." The staff member says to me.

Once we get into Hans' room, we both let out a whoosh of breath.

"Thanks goodness we made it." Hans says.

I get what he's saying, but sheesh, I'm so worried about Sieg.

"Well, shall I get you some tea?" Hans inquires.

"Thanks…" I say; Hans deftly pours me a cup of tea, but I'm too hyped up. I can't relax.

"Miss Carly… are you angry?" Hans asks me.

"Of course not, Hans, I'm just worried sick about Sieg!" I say.

"I understand," Hans says to me. "But Sieg won't let himself get caught that easily. Sieg can use his own strength to overcome anything. He will protect his kingdom."

"Hans…" I say; I guess he really believes in Sieg. "You certainly have a strong bond with Sieg. It's like you're his brother."

"Brothers… far from it!" Hans says, but he has a big smile on. "I was hired by the Lieben family straight out of butler school, so I haven't worked for him that long."

"Serious?" I ask.

"Actually, the first time I met him, Sieg was still in school," Hans informs me. "He was striving every day to become a fitting person to succeed the throne, and battling the pressures that come with carrying the fate of a nation on his back. It was very difficult for me to see him like that… But recently, I think he's changed a bit."

"Changed how, exactly?" I ask him.

"Yes, perhaps I could say that he's softened… He looks more at ease these days. And he's also more lively… He seems like he has more confidence than before," Hans says, before taking a sip of his tea and smiling warmly. "It's all because he met you."

"What? Me?" I ask.

"Yes. Even when you two were nestled up to each other earlier, he looked so happy." Hans says.

"I see…" I say, and then I remember he saw us when he brought the clothes.

"I've never seen Sieg show his emotions around other people like that… Especially not with women. That's how important you are to him." Hans says to me.

I feel my chest growing warm as I hear Hans out.

"Until Sieg returns, I'll protect you with my life. That's the one thing I can do for him right now." Hans says.

"Thanks, Hans; I'll watch the ceremony and trust Sieg." I say.

He gives me a smile and then glances out the window.

"It's dawn. The ceremony will be starting soon." Hans tells me.

Here goes nothing…

* * *

><p><strong>Next time, the ceremony is about to start and when I see that Sieg isn't there and Ulrich looks to have won the fight, what happens?! <strong>


End file.
